The Boston Celtics have the third overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft and if the Celtics hold on to the pick, the team should try and take a risk with a swing-for-the-fences player.
The problem with the Boston Celtics having the third overall pick is that they are realistically not going to end up with either Brandon Ingram or Ben Simmons (crazier things have happened). By potentially missing out on both elite prospects, the Celtics are kind of left in no-man’s land.
There is a big drop in talent after Ingram and Simmons, but this does not mean that the Celtics cannot find a gem at pick No. 3.
The best-case scenario for Boston would be if they could package this third pick with a couple assets or other picks to land a star like a Jimmy Butler or maybe even a Kevin Love, but if they cannot do that, than they should take a chance with the third pick.
First off, there are not many “safe” picks in the lottery after Simmons and Ingram. Buddy Hield might be the safest because of his offensive skill, but he is not very good on defense. Kris Dunn is a safe pick as well because of his efficiency on both ends of the floor and his playmaking ability.
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All the players that could potentially be drafted in the top 10 after Ingram and Simmons are not “safe” picks, most of them are raw and young (exception of Hield and Kris Dunn).
If the Celtics hold on to that third pick, they have a few different routes they can go, but in the end they should take a chance on a players that have a slight possibility of becoming a superstar.
They should not draft another guard, unless they part ways with some of their already crowded backcourt, so they should look for a frontcourt player that could make a huge impact down the road. Below are some intriguing options for the Celtics at pick No. 3.
Marquese Chriss
When Washington’s season ended, I would say that not even Marquese Chriss thought he could be a top five pick, but the former Washington power forward has gained a lot of buzz as of late.
He has been showing up in mock drafts in the 3-10 range, and the reason why is because he has such high upside. He is arguably the best athlete in the draft and he can stretch the floor for as a 6-foot-10 power forward.
He can step out and knock down the three, which makes him very intriguing.
Boston could use some athleticism, scoring, and defense in the frontcourt, Chriss could provide that down the road. He must learn how to play more disciplined defense and use his athleticism to his advantage when he is protecting the rim.
Chriss is such a raw prospect, but he is a swing for the fences pick that could pay off down the road for the Celtics. Chriss has superstar potential.
Dragan Bender
International prospects are always tricky because they do not play in college for everyone to see and because there have been a lot of misses on prospects from overseas.
Meet Dragan Bender, the top International prospect in the 2016 NBA Draft who has the ability to be a future stretch 4/small-ball 5. He can knock down the outside shot and he is 7-foot-1.
He is not going to thrive right away in the NBA, but he could make an impact in the near future once he puts on a little more weight and develops his game for the next level.
Jaylen Brown
To be honest, I am not very high on Jaylen Brown because his offensive inefficiency scares me, but he is very young, like Chriss and Bender, and he has the ideal physical presence for the next
level. Brown is the safest of the risky picks because of his body and athleticism, he is built like a bulldozer and he is can hang with wings and some power forwards at the next level.
His offensive game must improve for the next level, but the Celtics could slot him in on the wing off the bench right away if they took Brown, as long as they do not rely on his offense right away.
Overall
The main reason that the Celtics should take a risk with the No. 3 pick if they hold on to in it is because the team is already pretty good as it is.
They do not need another guard like Hield, Dunn, or Jamal Murray, they need an impact player in the frontcourt or on the wing that could be a star down the road. If a pick like Chriss, Bender or Brown does not work out, it is completely fine.
On the plus side, the Celtics can make safe picks at No. 16 and No. 23 in the draft if they want (Denzel Valentine, Tauren Prince, and Domantas Sabonis should still be on the board).
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All in all, the Celtics should go for a home run with pick No. 3.