Do the Boston Celtics have their sights set on a primary spherical level guard?

It’s smokescreen season, people.

Simply over per week from the NBA Draft and one OKC win away from a brand new champion, the offseason has been heating up for the league’s 28 non-contending groups. The Celtics have been notably shrouded in offseason buzz for the a number of commerce avenues they may discover. Most lately, the excitement has been much less concerning the gamers on the transfer and extra concerning the gamers they might need to draft.

A current report from Dallas-based reporter Grant Afseth paints the Celtics as a crew seeking to transfer up on this yr’s draft, notably angling for some extent guard.

It’s essential to notice that the Celtics haven’t held many official pre-draft exercises with level guard prospects right now. In accordance with HoopsHype’s go to tracker, Boston has labored out three level guard prospects at this stage within the course of and a type of gamers is Milos Uzan, who has already determined to return to school to play for the Houston Cougars.

It’s not like that’s the end-all, conversation-closing stamp on what may finally be simply your basic draft smokescreen, nevertheless it does point out that anybody’s on the desk if the Celtics do go down the course of a brand new flooring basic.

This yr’s crop of rookie guards is top-heavy, principally centered round doubtless No. 2 choose Dylan Harper and Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe, however so far as true flooring basic/lead guard prospects go, it could seem a bit skinny within the lottery.

Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears will nonetheless be simply 18 years previous when his title is named on draft evening, and what we’ve seen in his 34 school video games is a high-upside scoring guard with a rising bag of tips to create his personal shot.

Fears has a sleek ballhandling model, akin to fashionable score-first shotmakers like Kemba Walker or Jordan Poole, and that scoring is the predominant motive a crew within the lottery will look to take an opportunity on the Sooners one-and-done regardless of inconsistent 3-point capturing and a excessive turnover price.

One other lottery candidate is fellow one-and-done Kasparas Jakucionis, a Lithuanian prospect that hung out on Barcelona’s reserve crew earlier than a transfer to Illinois. At 6-foot-6, Jakucionis is a succesful pick-and-roll ballhandler with room to develop as a playmaker, however actually has loads of movie to indicate he could make the best reads and toss dimes with a flourish. He’s a superb paint attacker, showcasing velocity, energy and craftiness to complete on the rim.

A bundle of picks No. 28 and 32 can solely transfer Boston up thus far, so these choices may appear out of attain until a deal surrounding Sam Hauser or Jrue Vacation included a change of arms in draft capital.

A crew within the 20s nevertheless could also be a bit extra receptive to that kind of swap. Miami (twentieth general), Atlanta (twenty second) or Orlando (twenty fifth) may interact in that kind of bundle, providing Boston a barely higher likelihood at grabbing a high-upside guard like BYU’s Egor Demin or Saint-Quentin guard Nolan Traore.

Demin, a 6-foot-9 level ahead that left after one yr in school like Jakucionas and Fears, flashed main potential within the NCAA Match, displaying passing aptitude, rim ending capability and high-level athleticism. The 19-year-old has the framework of a lottery prospect, however what’s holding him again is a subpar capturing resume (35% within the mid-range, 27% 3P, 69.5% from the road) and questionable shot choice.

Demin’s intriguing mix of dimension and play initiating makes him an attention-grabbing developmental prospect, nevertheless it appears unlikely for Boston to focus on a non-shooting menace from the surface which will take a while earlier than he’s prepared for a considerable NBA position.

French prospect Nolan Traore can be a extra conventional choice than Demin that they’d contemplate in the course of the primary spherical. Operating the purpose at Saint-Quentin, the truth that he was a main ballhandler at 18 years previous for a crew on the highest degree of French basketball is in itself an attention grabbing logline for any draft hopeful, however Traore merely appeared like he belonged at that degree whenever you watch him play.

Traore has an elite trait, and it’s his velocity with the ball in his arms. The man simply leaves individuals within the mud together with his straight line acceleration. All he wants is a straightforward jab right here, a fast crossover there, and he’s gone. Not many defenders may sustain with him.

It’s not all positives although. The younger Traore doesn’t have a constant soar shot at this level, and on protection, he has a troublesome time working round screens, typically getting thrown out of the motion.

Even when Boston stands pat at 28, I don’t suppose it’s out of the query to see them nonetheless goal a guard. Prospects which were talked about regularly at the back of first spherical discussions like Ben Saraf (Ratiopharm Ulm), Walter Clayton Jr. (Florida) and Kam Jones (Marquette) all current good worth at 28.

Walter would arguably be the most well-liked choose of the bunch after stealing the present throughout Florida’s run to the NCAA Championship. At 6’3”, Clayton’s a bit undersized, however he showcased limitless capturing vary and the boldness to attain from any spot in opposition to any matchup.

There’s a lot function to what Clayton does with the ball in his arms. He’s all the time seeking to rating, however he has an understanding of the gravity he possesses and has the imaginative and prescient to maneuver the ball into house due to that gravity. Not often does it really feel like Clayton is out of concepts, and when he does wrestle to search out an avenue to attain, he’s keen to move it out of the scenario and re-route as an off-ball menace.

The truth that he’s an off and on-ball shooter actually makes it a better promote on his scoring capability. Assume Anfernee Simons-level creation as a ceiling, and you’ve got a good suggestion of how influential Clayton might be on the ground.

There are identifiable concern areas, notably in his overly-aggressive point-of-attack protection, however the truth that he’s not so closely reliant on self-creation and works exhausting within the non-scoring areas reveals a participant with excessive potential for a late first-round choose.

Saraf presents an easy level guard with room to develop as a scorer.

Saraf has confirmed show-running traits with the ball in his arms. He has good dimension, a affected person model and the imaginative and prescient to essentially maintain a protection on its toes, spraying passes all throughout the ground. As a scorer, Saraf is a little bit of a blended bag. He’s obtained the instruments and dealing with capability to create for himself on the drive, however that doesn’t lengthen to his jumper, which in itself is a serious weak spot to his sport.

Defensively, he’s succesful, boasting good off-ball instincts, fast arms and the body to deal with his personal when a guard tries to drive by means of him. Will he ever be a real plus on this finish? Doubtless not, however he does his job adequately.

Then there’s Marquette’s Kam Jones, a four-year school standout with 137 video games below his belt. Most regularly mocked within the early elements of the second spherical, Jones lacks severe explosiveness, but has been a confirmed bucket for the reason that day he stepped foot on Marquette’s campus.

He’s been an environment friendly double-digit scorer and dependable shooter (profession 37% on 3-pointers) the final three seasons, whereas getting into a bigger ballhandling position as a senior after the departure of Tyler Kolek. With extra duty, Jones showcased severe playmaking upside as a standard pick-and-roll level guard, although his companies are greatest suited to a score-first capturing guard that may combo between operating offense and taking part in off the ball.

Jones’ sturdy, cumbersome body is noticeable in his on-ball protection. He doesn’t get pushed by means of fairly often and does properly defending with the physique with out fouling. He anticipates passes defending off-ball, and was typically used as a roaming free security defender that would survive greater matchups in a pinch. At 28 or 32, Jones’ artful scoring capability and balanced sport may give Boston a prospect that’s prepared for minutes in Yr 1.

What’s actually been nice about this specific draft course of is how open it’s for the Celtics. The expectation, for the primary time in a very long time, is that the Celtics intend, and albeit want, so as to add to their cost-controlled prospect pool. Even when Joe Mazzulla doesn’t love rookies, there are minutes up for grabs throughout all place teams. Whoever hears their title referred to as has a severe likelihood to show their price out of the gate.

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If that first spherical choose finally ends up being a guard prospect, who do you want? Remark under and tell us.