Boston Celtics: Grading The Offseason

The Draft

It’s easy to have mixed feelings about what the Boston Celtics accomplished in the 2015 NBA Draft. On the one hand, they snagged a useful knockdown shooter in R.J. Hunter, and they did so at the end of the first round (No. 28) when he definitely shouldn’t have still been on the board.

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On the other hand, the Celtics selected Terry Rozier with their earliest first round pick at No. 16, which was a slight reach for Rozier. Even more confusingly, his skill set — athleticism, great defense, not a great shooter — seems to be identical redundant with what Marcus Smart already brings to the team.

Is Smart suddenly on the table after being pegged as one of the foundations of this rebuild? Is Rozier? Or is the plan really just to have Rozier back up Smart down the road since Isaiah Thomas is still on the roster?

To Rozier’s credit though, he had some big-time performances during NBA Summer League, averaging 12.2 points per game on 38.6 percent shooting from three-point territory.

In the second round, the Celtics made the most of their first pick, taking LSU’s Jordan Mickey at No. 33. Mickey was Boston’s best rookie at NBA Summer League, averaging 12.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, and he brings a coveted trait the Celtics desperately needed heading into the offseason: rim protection.

At No. 45, the Celtics took William & Mary’s Marcus Thornton — the only Celtics draft pick that has not been signed to a rookie contract yet.

But with four picks and not a single one resulting in a star player, it’s hard to ignore that the quantity over quality approach wasn’t ideal. General manager Danny Ainge knew this too, of course, which is why he tried to package all four picks in a deal with the Charlotte Hornets to move up to No. 9.

Unfortunately, the Hornets wouldn’t budge and the Celts were left to sit and ponder the biggest question of the summer: was that first round playoff series really worth missing out on a superior pick?

Keep in mind, had the Celtics lost only three more games, they would’ve tied with the Miami Heat for 10th in the Eastern Conference at 37-45. Instead, Boston won six straight games to close the season, made the playoffs and completely missed out on the chance at Justise Winslow when he fell to Miami at No. 10 in the draft.

There is a HUGE difference between Justise Winslow and Terry Rozier. And even though it shouldn’t matter, doesn’t the fact that the Celtics got swept in their playoff series add a little extra sting to going all in on the postseason and missing out on a foundational piece in the draft?

Before you say “the playoffs are good for the young players!” please keep in mind that this postseason did more good for head coach Brad Stevens than anyone else on the roster. The closest thing to “off limits” this team has is Marcus Smart, and Boston JUST drafted a player who is, on paper, a perfect replacement.

The Celtics added to their depth this summer, especially by doing so well to snag Hunter and Mickey as late in the draft as they did. But because of their hot pursuit of a playoff spot and Charlotte’s refusal to sacrifice quality over quantity, Boston walked away from the draft without the star it needs — a problem compounded by their good but not great fortunes in free agency.

Grade: B-

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