Boston Celtics: A look back at NBA Draft history before 2018

By Mason McFee | May 25, 2018

BOSTON, MA - MAY 23: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics reacts after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 96-83 in Game Five of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 23, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

With the 2018 NBA Draft approaching, it’s time to take a look back on the Boston Celtics’ NBA Draft history to get a sense of what to expect from their No. 27 overall pick.

The Boston Celtics are only okay at drafting. No, seriously.

Despite Celtics general manager (Trader) Danny Ainge pulling off arguably one of the greatest ~~heists~~ trades in NBA history acquiring gobs of draft picks and not getting ~~fined for tampering~~ penalized for it, sometimes less is more.

Dating back to the 2014 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics have made 16 selections. Of those 16 selections, only half are with the Celtics; either currently on the playoff roster, on their G League affiliate’s roster, or playing overseas. Of those eight players, five are currently on the playoff roster.

Now five divided by 16 comes out to be a bit shy of a 33 percent conversion rate, or hitting on one of every three draft picks. In the NBA, that’s a pretty decent conversion rate – so why are the Celtics only okay at drafting? The other guys mentioned earlier.

Here are some (but not all) of the eight players that have been selected by the Celtics: James Young (No. 17), R.J. Hunter (No. 28), Jordan Mickey (No. 33), Demetrius Jackson (No. 45) and Ben Bentil (No. 51). If at any point during reading those names, the question “Who?” came to mind, then that’s okay – none of those players have been able to latch on with an NBA team for long.

To be fair, Ainge has hit on most of the big picks — the ones that weren’t late first-rounders or second-round fliers. Fast forward a bit, and names like Jayson Tatum (No. 3), Jaylen Brown (No. 3), Marcus Smart (No. 6) and Terry Rozier (No. 16) are much more recognizable and/or are making a name for themselves during this postseason run.

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However, with the Celtics’ lone selection in the 2018 NBA Draft coming in at No. 27, it’ll be important for Ainge to buck the recent trend of misfiring in that range to find another contributor late in the first round.

The Boston Celtics have only drafted from this position once before, selecting Dennis Wuycik in the second round of the 1972 NBA Draft. Back then though, the NBA had yet to merge with the ABA, and he would never suit up for the Celtics. During his four-year ABA career, Wuycik averaged a measly 4.4 points per game, but did make the 1973 ABA All-Rookie Team.

The Celtics may have missed on Wuycik back then, but there is certainly reason to believe that doesn’t have to be the narrative this time around.

Generally speaking, the 27th overall selection has produced some very solid players, including Hall-of-Famer Dennis Rodman. Other notable selections include Arron Afflalo, Kendrick Perkins, Sasha Vujacic, Darrell Arthur, and DeMarre Carroll.

Some slightly more recent examples are Rudy Gobert, Kyle Kuzma, Pascal Siakam, Larry Nance Jr., and Bogdan Bogdanovic. Gobert is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate and players like Perkins and Carroll carved out nice careers as role players/spot starters. Players like Kuzma, Siakam, Nance Jr., and Bogdanovic have only been drafted in the past few years, but they have shown signs of great promise for their respective ball clubs.

The Boston Celtics would still be in a really good spot even if they completely whiff on their upcoming selection or trade it away. Next season they will (most likely) be trotting out a starting five of Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford.

Their bench may look a bit different next season with Marcus Smart’s impending free agency, not to mention spot starter Aron Baynes and midseason acquisition Greg Monroe also becoming free agents; but they could also very well retain most if not all of the aforementioned players.

Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft - Doncic still No. 1 in post-lottery edition

Some may view this year’s version of the Celtics as extremely lucky, with the luck set to run out very soon. Whatever next year’s version looks like, they’re going to be looking to turn their “luck” into continued success.

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