2014 NBA Redraft: A tale of two big men and two missed picks

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#6 Pick: Clint Capela (Originally: Marcus Smart)

Losing out on Marcus Smart takes away a lot of the identity that the Boston Celtics have established over the Brad Stevens era.

Clint Capela is an interesting backup plan, especially considering the possible reported interest by the Celtics in Capela this season. Capela was stuck behind Dwight Howard early in his career and benefited from being in Mike D’Antoni’s system, but the talent is undeniable.

Since becoming the full-time starter in his third season, his worst season, in terms of production, was 12.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game with his worst shooting season coming this year at a still lethal 62.9 percent from the field.

Capela is the theoretical rim-running center who has peaked this season averaging 13.8 rebounds per game and being immensely effective in the pick-and-roll. It is not hard to imagine Brad Stevens building an offense around any number of guards feeding Capela consistently.

While they had a young center on the roster in Kelly Olynyk, Olynyk would space the floor effectively alongside Capela and would have added a different dynamic to a Boston offense that would have exploded with this type of center. The culture would not be the same, but the talent would not see a dramatic drop-off.

With the seventh pick in the 2014 NBA Redraft, the Los Angeles Lakers select…

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