Draftees 2016 – Brown, Yabusele, Žižić, Jackson, Nader

[3D Chess]

Nader won D-League ROY.

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[Curmudgeon]

I don't love the Milsap comparison. Milsap was the best rebounder in NCAA history.

No he wasn't.

Career:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_basketball_career_rebounding_leaders

Single season:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_basketball_season_rebounding_leaders

Sorry it may have been blocked shots but he led the nation in one of and was near the top in the other during his last year at college. So history was a poor choice of words. But he was elite in both of those areas coming out of college.

Yabusele averaged 21 and 9 this year playing against men. Millsap averaged 19-13 in his last year at Louisiana Tech playing against boys.

[3D Chess]

No he wasn't.

Career:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_basketball_career_rebounding_leaders

Single season:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_basketball_season_rebounding_leaders

Sorry it may have been blocked shots but he led the nation in one of and was near the top in the other during his last year at college. So history was a poor choice of words. But he was elite in both of those areas coming out of college.

Yabusele averaged 21 and 9 this year playing against men. Millsap averaged 19-13 in his last year at Louisiana Tech playing against boys.

Men that routinely let Jimmer Freddette light them up for 50.

[Curmudgeon]

Men that routinely let Jimmer Freddette light them up for 50.

Well, I wonder how well teams like Longwood, Yale, Tougalou, McNeese State, Hawaii and Idaho (all teams that Millsap faced in his last year at Lousiana Tech) would fare in the Chinese Basketball Association.

[sam_I_am]

Men that routinely let Jimmer Freddette light them up for 50.

Well, I wonder how well teams like Longwood, Yale, Tougalou, McNeese State, Hawaii and Idaho (all teams that Millsap faced in his last year at Lousiana Tech) would fare in the Chinese Basketball Association.

For what it's worth, Jimmer Fredette used to light up the NCAA too.

[Elrod is Back]

Look, I get it. After everyone going wild over Jordan Mickey and dreaming on him last year as a defensive stud who could drill 3 pointers and rebound, it makes sense to be gun shy when another largely unknown prospect comes along and looks promising.

Fair enough.

But I think we have seen enough of Yabusele to let the love flow a little more strongly than we ever did with Mickey.

We can stop with the nonsense that Danny Ainge had a brain fart when he drafted Yabusele, that Homerclease was writing endlessly at one point.

We can stop with the nonsense that Yabusele is years away from even being able to play in the NBA, and that his odds are, at best, like those of a low second rounder, not a guy taken with the 16th pick in the draft.

The guy has conquered everywhere he has played so far in 16-17. Compare him to 2015 second rounder Marcus Thornton, who basically has proven in Australia, the D-League and Europe that he has no business in the NBA.

He is sui generis athletically, and to compare him to a Sullinger or Big Baby does no justice to reality.

Chad Ford is often dismissed as a hack, but what he does provide is access to the thinking of NBA GMs and scouts. From their input, and their input alone, Ford now places Yabusele as the 4th best prospect in the 2016 draft, ahead of Jaylen Brown among others.

If the guy had been drafted 3d overall, we'd all be doing backflips watching him play in China and the D-League.

OK, duhhh, he may not pan out. He may end up back in Europe in a few years and fade into the Kedrick Brown memory hole.

But the odds seem just as good that he will have a solid NBA career. And the door is still very much open for him to become an all-star at some point. There are no red flags at this point. None, including his current obsession with his alleged inability to play defense. Yabusele plays with an infectious enthusiasm that all but guarantees he will soon be a fan favorite.

He gets the benefit of the doubt from me.

I, for one, am absolutely delighted Ainge had the foresight to take him 16th overall. Looks like an Al Jefferson caliber steal right now.

[Celtic King]

No he wasn't.

Career:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_basketball_career_rebounding_leaders

Single season:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_basketball_season_rebounding_leaders

Sorry it may have been blocked shots but he led the nation in one of and was near the top in the other during his last year at college. So history was a poor choice of words. But he was elite in both of those areas coming out of college.

Yabusele averaged 21 and 9 this year playing against men. Millsap averaged 19-13 in his last year at Louisiana Tech playing against boys.

Can I add he did that in less minutes due to the fact he was the second import and could not play at the same time as Jimmer in some quarters in China.

[GreenBloodedC]

Nader could be in the league for a long time.

Given that Brown obviously has the higher ceiling and potential; Nader was our most consistent player in the summer league. The same translated in the dleague, and what's left is to show his stuff in the NBA. Which I am confident he can.

[LongTimeFan]

I firmly believe our brain trust's draft board looks nothing like anybody else's draft board. (Wyc said we had 30 or so scouts and they watch video all night long.) This is why draft picks are so valuable to us. Rondo, Perk and now Zizic in the 20's. Or Jeffersen and now Yabs in the teens.

We are talking about predicting the future, so of course we make mistakes. So having a lot of picks improves the odds.

[BillessuR6]

I really like Nader, he will e agreat role playr for this team.

I am high on Zizic, everytime I watch him play, I see a true center. He is exactly what we need down low. I expect him to be in rotation next year.

I am however surprised by the Yabu hype. He was not special in Europe, he made a huge mistake by going to China, IMO. Competition there is terrible, levels under league he played in Europe.He took a step back because of money instead of going to Spain for example where he could play two tough games every week at the highest level after NBA. I hope he goes to Europe for another year I do not think he is ready for NBA.

[Homerclease]

Look, I get it. After everyone going wild over Jordan Mickey and dreaming on him last year as a defensive stud who could drill 3 pointers and rebound, it makes sense to be gun shy when another largely unknown prospect comes along and looks promising.

Fair enough.

But I think we have seen enough of Yabusele to let the love flow a little more strongly than we ever did with Mickey.

We can stop with the nonsense that Danny Ainge had a brain fart when he drafted Yabusele, that Homerclease was writing endlessly at one point.

We can stop with the nonsense that Yabusele is years away from even being able to play in the NBA, and that his odds are, at best, like those of a low second rounder, not a guy taken with the 16th pick in the draft.

The guy has conquered everywhere he has played so far in 16-17. Compare him to 2015 second rounder Marcus Thornton, who basically has proven in Australia, the D-League and Europe that he has no business in the NBA.

He is sui generis athletically, and to compare him to a Sullinger or Big Baby does no justice to reality.

Chad Ford is often dismissed as a hack, but what he does provide is access to the thinking of NBA GMs and scouts. From their input, and their input alone, Ford now places Yabusele as the 4th best prospect in the 2016 draft, ahead of Jaylen Brown among others.

If the guy had been drafted 3d overall, we'd all be doing backflips watching him play in China and the D-League.

OK, duhhh, he may not pan out. He may end up back in Europe in a few years and fade into the Kedrick Brown memory hole.

But the odds seem just as good that he will have a solid NBA career. And the door is still very much open for him to become an all-star at some point. There are no red flags at this point. None, including his current obsession with his alleged inability to play defense. Yabusele plays with an infectious enthusiasm that all but guarantees he will soon be a fan favorite.

He gets the benefit of the doubt from me.

I, for one, am absolutely delighted Ainge had the foresight to take him 16th overall. Looks like an Al Jefferson caliber steal right now.

After a year in China and a couple decent D league games? lol Nader has been more impressive. Ainge wanted Hernangomez and when he got snatched up, he veered off his draft board to keep room available for Durant. I still think Yabs is years away from being able to contribute here and bringing him over next year is a huge mistake

[Curmudgeon]

I fully expect Yabusele and Zizic to be rotation players next year. I also expect Nader to be on the roster, although he will have to show up defensively to earn minutes. Having said that, I would not be surprised to see at least one of those three playing for a team other than the Celtics.

Asd for departures, Zeller and James Young will almost certainly be gone. Draft night and free agency will determine the other departures.

[Homerclease]

I fully expect Yabusele and Zizic to be rotation players next year. I also expect Nader to be on the roster, although he will have to show up defensively to earn minutes. Having said that, I would not be surprised to see at least one of those three playing for a team other than the Celtics.

Asd for departures, Zeller and James Young will almost certainly be gone. Draft night and free agency will determine the other departures.

Its a waste of a year of control. Yabs will never see the court with his defense right now. He should be in Europe another year

[Gant]

I fully expect Yabusele and Zizic to be rotation players next year. I also expect Nader to be on the roster, although he will have to show up defensively to earn minutes. Having said that, I would not be surprised to see at least one of those three playing for a team other than the Celtics.

Asd for departures, Zeller and James Young will almost certainly be gone. Draft night and free agency will determine the other departures.

Its a waste of a year of control. Yabs will never see the court with his defense right now. He should be in Europe another year

Next season is a long way off. There's no rush to decide Yabusele's fate now. He's got half a year to improve his defense and polish his game. If cap space allows, the decision will be made in October.

[3D Chess]

Men that routinely let Jimmer Freddette light them up for 50.

Well, I wonder how well teams like Longwood, Yale, Tougalou, McNeese State, Hawaii and Idaho (all teams that Millsap faced in his last year at Lousiana Tech) would fare in the Chinese Basketball Association.

Make no mistake, I am pretty optimistic that Yabs can contribute, but I don't think we can really learn that much from his CBA numbers.

[Elrod is Back]

I think the Cs have made it clear that Yabs and Zizic are both on the roster in 2017-18. Every interview/article has made that point.

[Banks2Pierce]

I think the Cs have made it clear that Yabs and Zizic are both on the roster in 2017-18. Every interview/article has made that point.

Austin Ainge straight up said Zizic would be signing in July, but I don't necessarily get that impression on Yabusele from what I've seen. Is there anything that you think points to it being likely?

[Smog]

I think the Cs have made it clear that Yabs and Zizic are both on the roster in 2017-18. Every interview/article has made that point.

Austin Ainge straight up said Zizic would be signing in July, but I don't necessarily get that impression on Yabusele from what I've seen. Is there anything that you think points to it being likely?

They've been very careful not to say anything so definite about Yabusele's future. Steve Bulpett, who's basically Ainge's mouthpiece, ran that story talking about their high expectations for Zizic next year (as a solution to their rebounding problems) but said nothing about Yabusele.

Seems like it will depend on what happens in free agency. If they need the cap space, they'll stash him one more year.

[Cornbread]

The decision ultimately isn't the Celtic's. It's Yabusele's. If he isn't open to being stashed another year they have to bring him over this year.

[bucknersrevenge]

Look, I get it. After everyone going wild over Jordan Mickey and dreaming on him last year as a defensive stud who could drill 3 pointers and rebound, it makes sense to be gun shy when another largely unknown prospect comes along and looks promising.

Fair enough.

But I think we have seen enough of Yabusele to let the love flow a little more strongly than we ever did with Mickey.

We can stop with the nonsense that Danny Ainge had a brain fart when he drafted Yabusele, that Homerclease was writing endlessly at one point.

We can stop with the nonsense that Yabusele is years away from even being able to play in the NBA, and that his odds are, at best, like those of a low second rounder, not a guy taken with the 16th pick in the draft.

The guy has conquered everywhere he has played so far in 16-17. Compare him to 2015 second rounder Marcus Thornton, who basically has proven in Australia, the D-League and Europe that he has no business in the NBA.

He is sui generis athletically, and to compare him to a Sullinger or Big Baby does no justice to reality.

Chad Ford is often dismissed as a hack, but what he does provide is access to the thinking of NBA GMs and scouts. From their input, and their input alone, Ford now places Yabusele as the 4th best prospect in the 2016 draft, ahead of Jaylen Brown among others.

If the guy had been drafted 3d overall, we'd all be doing backflips watching him play in China and the D-League.

OK, duhhh, he may not pan out. He may end up back in Europe in a few years and fade into the Kedrick Brown memory hole.

But the odds seem just as good that he will have a solid NBA career. And the door is still very much open for him to become an all-star at some point. There are no red flags at this point. None, including his current obsession with his alleged inability to play defense. Yabusele plays with an infectious enthusiasm that all but guarantees he will soon be a fan favorite.

He gets the benefit of the doubt from me.

I, for one, am absolutely delighted Ainge had the foresight to take him 16th overall. Looks like an Al Jefferson caliber steal right now.

After a year in China and a couple decent D league games? lol Nader has been more impressive. Ainge wanted Hernangomez and when he got snatched up, he veered off his draft board to keep room available for Durant. I still think Yabs is years away from being able to contribute here and bringing him over next year is a huge mistake

I agree with Homer in part on this matter. Juancho was DEFINITELY Danny's first choice. I don't think he veered off his draft board to take Yabusele. I think he was always targeting players that would be willing to be stashed if need be for 1 or 2 years with that pick and Guershon was just the next best guy on his list. I'll glad ly let Homer speak for himself but I don't think Danny was just throwing crap at the wall when 16 came around in the draft. Nader has been more impressive and he definitely deserves a spot on this roster next year IMO.

We may or may not disagree though on whether Yabusele is years away from contributing. From an offense and rebounding standpoint, I think he could contribute right away off the bench. My question, is how does his understanding of defensive concepts hold up? I have not seen enough tape on him at that end of the floor to get a read on him either way. Plus depending on two rookie big men to contribute off the bench next year just may not be logical. And considering roster constraints, if it is determined that he could use one more year in the oven, I'm okay with that, and we bring him over next season.