Complete 2017 NBA Draft grades for all 30 teams
Boston Celtics
Jayson Tatum (No. 3), Semi Ojeleye (No. 37), Kadeem Allen (No. 53), Jabari Bird (No. 56)
Once again, the Boston Celtics emerged from draft night without the blockbuster trade fans have been clamoring for — a disappointment after trading down from the No. 1 pick and posturing themselves for another move. But they didn’t land Jimmy Butler. They didn’t walk away with Paul George, and in the end, glimpses of the unicorn Kristaps Porzingis were just a mirage.
However, Boston still found very good value in the draft, particularly with its first three picks. Jayson Tatum is, on paper, a perfect fit for a roster that needs an additional scoring punch to take the pressure off Isaiah Thomas to do everything.
He’ll need to work on his perimeter shot and his defense, but his size and his length could make him passable on that end and he has the instincts of a scorer.
Ainge on Tatum: "We like his size, length, rebounding, shooting, his character. There's a lot to like about Jayson. He's a terrific player."
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) June 23, 2017
Semi Ojeleye is a fiery defender who used his brute strength to bully people in college. That won’t fly at the next level, but he has an NBA body already and if his excellent shooting splits from college translate into a reliable three-point shot at the next level, the Celtics just picked up some serious wing depth with a player some expected to go in the first round.
Semi Ojeleye is going to fit perfectly into the Celtics’ culture of beating up every nerd.
— Tom Westerholm (@Tom_NBA) June 23, 2017
Arizona’s Kadeem Allen is another great pick considering he might be one of the best perimeter defenders in this draft class, though he’s already 24 years old. California’s Jabari Bird rounded out Boston’s draft with a former teammate of Jaylen Brown. Plus, the last time the Celtics had a guy named Bird, he did pretty well for himself.
It was a nice haul for Boston overall, but not a single one of those rookies moves the needle against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East. It’s possible Danny Ainge is playing the long game and simply liked Tatum better than Fultz, but after all those trade rumors, this feels like another year of being unable to turn that mountain of assets into anything more than the promise of tomorrow.
Grade: C+