What Will the Boston Celtics do on Draft Night? (w/ Ben Pfeifer)

What Will the Boston Celtics do on Draft Night? (w/ Ben Pfeifer)

first to the floor making every big play for the [Music] todayy to get what a play by watch him for the ball right here look at this hustle [Music] KN what is up welcome back to another episode of first to the floor we are joined by a very special guest as we try and wrap our head around the NBA draft amidst the champagne and beer over the past couple of weeks Ben FIFA how are you doing my my friend I’m doing well as as I said before congrats guys um I know it’s an exciting time for all of y’all Celtics fans um and and the draft is probably just like a consolation prize at this point you’re not like stressing out like other fan bases but thanks thanks for having me on guys yeah thanks for coming on the felt way more important last year I’ll say that for sure but I I know I can probably speak for Jake here I love the draft it’s just super fun you know I always convinced myself anyone the Celtics draft is going to be a multi-time Allstar so I’m I’m totally looking forward to it I mean they’ve got a pretty decent record so like not the worst idea ever well yeah I think that’s like kind of the biggest question for this brde Stevens left is like he’s he’s the goat the only thing we’re not 100% sure he can do yet is draft because like the only only draft pick he really made so far is Jordan Walsh so the jury’s kind of out so far hard too early on that one yeah yeah um I guess I’ll ask you on that dude what were your Jordan Walsh thoughts prior prior to the draft if you have them I was a big fan of Jordan Walsh I likeed that pick a lot um I think it makes made a lot of sense for a very deep team like the Celtics to pick a guy with pretty extreme upside on the defensive end but would need time and I think that’s possibly going to be in the cards this year for how they go but he had some I watched him a couple times in the G League this this year and he always looked pretty good at least doing the things that he does with regards to like tons of energy and defense and there were some good driving moments but yeah I thought Walsh was like solid late first guy I think the Celtics were a good landing spot and I will say I do believe in him long term so Lov to hear it so yeah well yeah like you know I I believed in gash on yaselli way too long and all the zich Fig zizic guy yeah well that like that’s I mean like if you’re going to be a fan like of a team like why not believe until like it’s really time to stop stop believing you know if you’re aan of and you’re not just like way too in on all of your picks like what are you doing you know right yeah I still think James Young can give us minutes man I’m telling you so uh Ben why don’t you uh kind of give us a little bit of rundown to how long you’ve been covering the draft and maybe how your approach has changed as the years have gone by as you’ve seen more drafts yeah so I’ve been covering the draft um at least seriously since probably like the 2019 cycle so this is going to be like my fourth my fifth or sixth draft really doing content um I’ve done a bunch of stuff I’ve written at a bunch of different places made videos at a bunch of different places um did a little team side work and now I’m back just making content um and you said like the things that have changed over the years yeah um that’s a good question of specific lessons I think I’ve learned to Value like Advantage creation and scoring a lot more than I used to do because even if you’re like a really talented player in a lot of other ways if you can’t score it’s really hard to get on the floor I’ve come to Value things like Youth and feel even more like young players tend to break out or or early breakout players tend to be better really smart players tend to be better um I don’t know if i’ I’ve made any massive changes in My Philosophy but you know just little things um picking up on Trends guys who I got wrong um I think some of my big early fails like being high on guys like Jarrett kver or Jan Hayes which are obviously not unique opinions right but I I think part of the big issue with guys like that especially at the top of the draft which we’re not going to be talking about today was um the inability to like create and score and even if that’s not your main thing you pretty much got to be able to do it as I think a team like the Celtics kind of forces every single one of their players to dribble and pass and do perimeter stuff and I think there’s a reason for that you know yeah I will yeah like going through draw stuff for this team it’s it’s hard and and funny cuz I’m like but all of our players can dribble shoot and defend at a high level but no one that I’m looking at at pick 39 can do that like how’s that going to work what do you mean Ryan Dunn can’t shoot come on man yeah and like and I guess that’s I mean that’s kind of at the point that’s why I kind of wanted to talk a little bit like more broad draft stuff as well just because like um a lot of it you know feels kind of for someone who’s not a big draft person it feels like there’s like you know just a Randomness to it like obviously there’s you know even the guys at the outside like the top two three picks um the hit rates of those guys guys that end up like on the same team for their second contract is like shockingly low but when you’re picking it fourth overall it feels like you’re just guaranteed to get a guy that’s going to be there forever and going to be a multi-time uler but um and you like you know Josh giddy was just traded a couple days ago like there’s another guy who was sixth overall um who has moved on um from his first team so um like just accepting that like you never know kind of what’s going to happen and then obviously there are just some teams that are better than others the Celtics have drafted pretty well I know Danny an had a couple of um like late misses late but like generally had a pretty excellent record yeah and I think another big thing that I’ve learned and I’ve just like picked up on more is something that you get is how much of a patience game the draft is um and I think that’s definitely something that the Celtics know um and you know they they were patient with Jaylen I think especially they’re patient obviously with Tatum but Tatum broke out really early whereas that was easy it’s hard to you’re not it’s rare that you’re going to get instant returns and even if prospects don’t work out on their first team and their first contract even if it wasn’t like the quote unquote right pick that doesn’t mean they’re not going to be good players or that they weren’t good prospects like I think back to my first draft um like 2019 that I covered I was super high on on Kobe white who for like a couple years wasn’t really looking like it was going to be anything and last year like Bo breaks out looks like a sub Allstar level player so it’s like yeah year four or five um I think most teams could generally benefit from more patience um which is part of why I think teams like Celtics and OKC and other of these like and Denver honestly teams like that who have really good franchises tend to like be patient with the players they draft even through ups and downs um I think that’s definitely an important consideration and something that in the case of the Celtics they definitely shown over the past decade or so that they’re willing to draft players that might not be willing to contribute right away um and might but might be worth it long term because of that yeah and like nce Smith is the guy right that we weren’t patient with but then he still kind of broke out this year for Indy you know uh but so like that’s a hit for draft pick wise thank you guys Smith by way yeah you’re welcome you’re welcome he’s the best man it did work we we were Believers I mean spoon was spoon was like building a freaking Castle on top of should see the shrine in my bedroom yeah yeah but um do do you have like any do you have like a your crown jewel Draft take like you were high on a certain guy um or low on a certain guy uh that you feel uh Vindicated for um the one that I always think of was being really high on on Tyrese Maxi um which wasn’t like a again wasn’t like a like a crazy unique opinion but I think I I wrote an article back in like 202 like the spring of January 20 where I said he could be the number one pick um which obviously wasn’t even close to happening but I think there’s you can you know make it make an argument that he could be in that conversation for re probably not going to be over Anthony Edwards maybe in lamelo but I think you can really argue that um trying to think of one of my other one this isn’t necessarily like a an evaluation I mean I like this player but you mentioned giddy earlier and I went on a thunder podcast before that and like predicted that they were going to draft him and they did draft him unexpectedly um that wasn’t as much of like a calling my shot on a player being good more than like a calling my shot on a pick happening um I’m trying to think of anyone who always that’s even more impressive honestly cuz gidy I remember was mocked at like 13 14 15 range and him going at six everybody’s like holy [ __ ] so dude you nailed that I’m trying to try I’m trying to I’m trying to think of anyone who I was like low on that didn’t hit I I mean like I’m thinking of all like the a lot of like quote unquote draft T ones like I was pretty low on wisan who didn’t ask about wisman cuz that seems to be like actually that’s a question that I want to ask you so like draft Twitter quote unquote like um how like you you’ll hear some people on National pods and be like people on Twitter think they’re so smart like they could like the GMS in the NBA are so good and stuff like that I’m like I don’t know man I feel like I could be the GM of the Nets and do as good of a job but like and so when you look to talk about like drafting capabilities of teams like the Suns have been like pretty they like even have a dra Department right like they’ve literally been outward about not caring about the draft and I don’t think it’s like we’re smarter than like GMS like people on Twitter but one like a lot of people have been hired to front offices like and have worked in front offices a lot of my friends myself included um at times and like that there are a lot of GMS that we know are like bad either because of like nepotism or just like we know their track record it’s like anyone in any any industry there’s going to be brilliant good people and there’s going to be dumb not so good people and I think it’s that way in the NBA as well there’s plenty of brilliant Scouts right that are like the ones in the good front off there plun of ones that don’t really know much and I also think another thing that I always think about is we have the the privilege of not having any other considerations to draft with right because when I’m thinking about prospects the lens that I you know most people I guess on the internet view it through is how can we make decisions that move the needle close cler to a championship whereas there are other goals that franchises have and GMS have and owners have where whether it’s like reaching a certain level of wins or making the playoffs or selling tickets or building this kind of roster right it’s not always about like that they take this player because their Scouts think that he’s the best where it’s like maybe they the Warriors take James wisman at twoo because he was really good at dinner like no offense to him or anything right but like that’s great great hang try hand James wisman I mean and like there’s there’s validity to that you know sure totally makes sense to want to you know employ people who are good hangs but generally I think yeah it’s not that like I there’s plenty of players like quote unquote draft Twitter liked and missed on and didn’t like but I think we people on the internet you know draft Twitter is not a monolith there are a lot of people with different I think especially this year more than ever maybe like yes opinions are just all over the place but I do think think it’s like there’s a lot of smart people who do a lot of really good work um on here um and there are some you know and and there are some people who have really good takes and know what they’re talking about and people who don’t just like just like in any field or interest or whatever so very familiar with being one of those people who doesn’t know what he’s talking about but still talks about it anyway I was I was very just going back to I was super low on Davon Mitchell and book Knight which looks good at the moment home run right there runs dude yeah I was too high that I was too low on Scotty Barnes I liked him but I didn’t like him as much as I should have he just signed his his superx he did just sign his his rookie rookie Max yeah good for him man extension good for I mean he’s AUD he’s gonna be incredible for the Raptors like great player all right so I think what we might as well turn to this 2024 draft you mentioned it there that there’s a lot of differing opinions to me as a dude you know and all of our a lot of our fans you know a lot of them are not draft experts so they’re going to be coming off a championship it’s a quick turnaround to get to the draft it’s this one seems all over the damn place I see people with like guys at number one and then somebody else’s board has him at 10 and it’s like absolutely crazy so like if you were trying to summarize this draft like what’s the elevator pitch for the 2024 NBA draft and it does not have to be positive I mean it’s not positive I don’t want to like Su cat and lie but I will say it’s I think the the main thing that I come back to is how flat it is and how syy the values of these prospects are and I think that’s one of the biggest reasons why there’s so much variation there is a lack of high-end Talent there aren’t really super like legit lockar prospects like most drafts there are very good ones and there are prospects who can definitely be stars but might have more risk or prospects who maybe can’t be aren’t going to be stars but might be a little bit safer but I think because of like how in value like for for example on my I have like a you know like I think my eighth and 22nd ranked players are in the same tier right so it’s like even you know a team could take a a guy who I have ranked like 20th in in you know the top 10 and if it’s a good fit and makes sense I’m like okay yeah it’s a good pick or someone you know or if someone who I have ranked really highly Falls it’s like okay yeah I understand that there wasn’t really a spot for them obviously there are some prospects who I’m like bullish on or not high on that I think regardless should should go high or shouldn’t go high but I think just because of how close and narrow the Rangers are and how like close everyone is in Talent level there aren’t like huge gaps and there isn’t a ton of depth really either at least to me I think it falls off I mean most drafts fall off in the second round but I think this one might fall off a little bit earlier than than most drafts but I think part of that is um not just I mean it is this draft being weak but it’s also just how nil and the co years have have impacted the decision making of prospects on like The Fringe in terms of staying or going um a lot of them will take the certainty and the money that comes with nil versus you know taking their chances in the second round pick or two-way market so that’s my general thoughts on the draft definitely not strong I I think the the general narrative about it being weak is accurate I would say and I think the the flat the general flatness is going to lead into like a lot of craziness on draft night which I’m very excited about oh yeah yeah hell yeah I mean like it’s it’s kind of good for the Celtics in that way it’s like okay well you know someone might fall down or or or it’s just like we have this similar opportunity to draft similar type plays it might just be as simple as waiting and see who Falls to them like betting that someone they like or have as a first rounder is going to fall to them it’s like yeah we’ll just wait and see who falls you know yeah so on the Celtics so we got we have the 30th overall pick and then we have the 50 fourth pick from the Mavs ironically so a lot of people think that we’re going to trade down uh to avoid having to pay like the guaranteed salary considering we’re over the over the apron and stuff like that because everybody thinks that I’m one I’m just like I wonder if Brad just like and because of the type of draft it is like it sounds like people want to be moving down is it going to be easy to move up who knows um I’m I’m not confident that’s going to happen but I’m not I’m not ruling it out spoony I don’t know are you you’re there as well like like if you had to guess keep the pick move up move down how what are you what are you thinking yeah I’m not sure how much more guaranteed money like a first late first is than a top of the obviously a second you don’t have to give them any guaranteed money so there’s more flexibility there but I I I think that’s a great Point Jake about like if it’s a flat draft people are going to want to go fall back in the draft and pick up future assets and like if everybody’s trying to do that like that’s going to be more expensive you might get like yeah here’s a top 45 protected second in the 2029 draft and it’s like well is that worth moving down four or five spots maybe not so I was I was pretty confident they were going to move down a couple days ago but the more I think about it I think Brad’s just going to stay put and and just take the pick at 30 because look you’re only on the hook for two years anyway right you can just decline that third-year option um if you want to get a look at that guy but if there’s an opportunity to move down that makes sense he probably will uh I don’t think it’ll be anything like last year where it was like 15 uh trade backs but yeah that’s where I’m at I think if I had to guess it would be just stay put I think that probably is Right honestly I could definitely see them trading down or maybe even out you know they don’t they don’t have any good offers in second round pix like we’ll just take future picks and or cash or whatever considerations and we we don’t like anyone so I think either they trade out or they just stay and pick someone which is I think maybe the most likely is just they stick it and take something 30 let’s let’s hope they just stay at 30 just purely for the fact that because the draft is two days and that means that we get something that happens they’re goingon to do it for the content creator yeah please that’s right we’re gonna be freaking streaming this draft and we’re gonna be waiting for pick 30 and he’s going to trade back and then um that’s me up late last last year Brad I know um all right so uh Ben if you’re the Celtics what type of player is at the like are you are you targeting like Celtics nades um yeah what what are you thinking from a Celtics perspective the Celtics obviously have the luxury of going in basically any Direction they want because of their roster if I were them I would probably be targeting one because of the way the draft is going to go I think there’s going to be some higher upside projecty types which considering the Celtics have basically their whole rotation locked like it looks like they’re going to give Derrik an extension they could extend how like they have Tillman’s bird rights um they have most of their rotation under team control for at least the next year or two so they don’t really have to worry about drafting like a super ready team which is a unique situation I think for contenders to be because usually you see contenders at the back end of the draft where it’s like okay we’re gonna draft an old guy who can play but the Celtics like I don’t really know if anybody on the board would really play who they drafted like maybe if they found someone in like a really specific role that they could use like I’m sure you I wouldn’t put it past moula and Brad and whatever to figure something out but it’s probably most likely that whoever they draft is not playing this year maybe even next year so why not then draft um someone with some with some upside with some potential and I think that’s kind of what they’ve been doing recently anyway like not only with like Walsh but like a lot of the guys they had acquired in fast like Davidson and like yam Madar I think over the past couple years you’re locked in dude there you go yeah bearin that’s yeah yeah exactly bearan like that’s that’s exactly who I would like those are those are the types that I would probably want to Target um and the the main names that I think of in in that range are Pome dadia I think or Pome dadia who a couple people in the French Wing him and and nicad durich um and then or Rich chi I think are the three like main main like upside SW Wings in that range that I really like who maybe they don’t become anything really but I think the the consequences for missing out on this pick are pretty low um so like dadia or Chom or any of these guys I think hi M Daddy yeah yeah good meme Potential from Zach in the chat there I mean yeah spoony like this is how I’m I think of it Ben you’re right like the core is locked like not only like the you know the core but the whole rotation I think the question that they’re going to like that we don’t 100% know is like what are they going to do with cornette and tman it’s like um because like if they know they’re going to like just resign those guys and it’s like 100% like take take High upside guys but it’s like are we going to lose Tilman and cornette because I think it’s become clear to me like jayen Jason Derek Drew they’re locked in so basically you just need Big Man stable and that was like what this year it’s like okay KP gave us five playoff games Horford’s there Luke cornette gave us one big win in Cleveland gave us a big game three in Dallas like can we just get enough guys that can do something that can help us grab a win or two in the playoffs yeah I I so for me the it’s a shame the draft is before Sam Howser’s option deadline I mean obviously worst case scenario we just pick it up and he’s here for one more year um but if we knew he was extended I would say yeah let’s look for a big man specifically a big man that can shoot uh and hopefully we can teach him how to protect the rim because that seems to be the issue with most of the bigs that can shoot in this draft but um if if we have any indication Howser’s not going to be around for much longer I would be looking for wings that can shoot um and they must be pretty confident they can teach guys how to play defense because Hower has turned into a legitimately solid defensive player so uh those are the two ones for me is that obviously you know if somebody drops who you think is like wellow this guy’s clearly the best player left you take him but otherwise I’d be looking for wingshooter and bigs hopefully that can shoot and maybe turn into a much worse version of Al Horford because we’re going to miss he’s Irreplaceable we’re gonna miss him yeah sure yeah you should have him for at least one more year yep yeah all right so let’s um let’s we we’ll pay some bills and then we’ll just like we’ll just go and talk about as many prospects until um Ben wants to go home and like he just Le studio all right I’ve got to do a live one today all right yeah you got the list uh prize picks is America’s number one daily fantasy sports up with over 5 million active members prize pick is easily is the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports unlike other apps on prize picks it’s just you against the numbers all you do is pick more or less on two to six player stat projections you can now win up to 100 times your money on priz 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video of yours that I watched in my 24 hours of cramming uh who who who do they make videos on um you made videos on a lot of guys yeah I was gonna try yeah I mean I don’t yeah yeah I think um I’ll say probably dadia would be my main okay want for them um but I think like I said those like and Dad dadia obviously has the advantage of being a possible stash option if he’s willing to to stay overes obviously not every player is willing to do that and that might impact the Celtics willingness to to draft them but those are advantages for I think dadia and dur and durich and what other International it’s a pretty there’s a lot of good International prospects towards the top but in the second round there aren’t really a ton of notable International guys but I think dadia being just a really toolsy shooting Wing who has a lot of room to grow but you put him in an infrastructure like the Celtics I think that’s a great place for him to thrive he’s gonna be he’s still going to be 18 on on draft night he’s a 6 foot n Wing who shot almost 40% from three on on catch and shoot threes um and he is more than that though a lot of it is just flashes right you know he’s an extremely young player but he’s shown the ability to score off the dribble a little bit to make some high level passes with the ball in his hands his defense you know gonna need a lot of work but if the Celtics are confident they can teach him how to play defense right he has great tools he’s super energetic he plays with a high motor he’s always like running and moving and working off the ball so I think overall dadia makes sense as a long-term upside swing is not only someone who who already because of his experience playing in a pro league he played for radio Farm in the German league which is the same team that kilan haaste played on um before he came to the NBA maybe I don’t know if they’re gonna be avoiding that that that destination but no in all seriousness I think his his ability to like already play with an offense and be a good cutter and offensive rebounder and floor spacer is is nice for his translation as well as showcasing some of the higher end flashes with his burst and his on ball creation and his playmaking so as someone who needs to sit and needs the g-league and needs more reps and the Celtics are a place that he can get those without feeling any pressure to like contribute right away you know there’s even if like Hower leaves they could and they want to go a different direction like there wouldn’t be so much pressure for a young guy like Daddy had a contribute immediately so he’s probably my favorite Sou pick even though it’s not like a huge margin there’s like quite a few guys so I could say are my favorite or who I would like if they made that pick what what if they went what you want me to Daddy ey well no no no well like I want to know who you want or you want throw out the next guy cuz you you kind of you called Jordan Walsh lost year I did call Jordan Walsh I I love he’s not on our list I love Jaylen Tyson personally but he’s got some serious ISS yeah do you think he’ll be there at 30 he’s he’s mocked there but I find it unlikely the rookie the rookie scale consensus board which is like an incredibly useful resource just like putting together a bunch of boards and mocks and in one place to see what the consensus has him outside of the first round but I find that unlikely unless there’s some like serious like medical or character concerns um but I love Tyson he is incredibly talented and I think he’s someone who could play who could play sooner even though I I think he’s still got some upside he is one of the most talented scorers in the class like legit Wing size at 67 an advanced pull-up shooting bag can really Drive Great burst and explosion the the main issues with him just come like with consistency where he shows the ability to make some excellent passes at times out of the pick and roll but sometimes he just won’t want to pass or defensively he’ll showcase the ability to to slide his feet and and really move but then he’ll just zone out for a couple possessions in a row yeah part of that I think is just because he was asked to carry Cal’s offense he had like a 30 usage last year and something I think about with a lot of these guys who project to be role players is that they are never going to be featured as heavily in an offense as they were in college right like there is a 99% chance that Jaylen Tyson is never gonna be the the offensive centerpiece of his team so hopefully in that case there’s you know more energy and focus to expend on the defensive end I think Tyson would be an incredible pick like like I again I’m kind of skep IAL he falls that far same um even if that’s like the mock I just don’t there are too many teams in that late first range like the Pelicans the Knicks the Bucks the Suns that like make so much sense as the Tyson landing spot that it just seems I don’t know it seems weird to me that a guy with his especially even with his flaws like the NBA loves these like versatile shooting athletic wings with like some kind of feel concerns they’ve been all over that so I think I don’t think he’s going to be there but that would be great if he was yeah the 66 guys that can shoot dribble and pass like they don’t fall out of the first round really so uh some of the defensive tape I watched of him was pretty concerning though I say that but is like yeah I did like a defensive grading system for the first time this year where I try to like wait um wait stuff like wait defensive traits and come up with like a one number score and Tyson was was certainly on the lower end of that just as a result of right his awareness and consistency stuff but I do think he has the tools to improve and I think um Joe Missoula has has earned the benefit of the doubt in terms of defensive coaching to where I trust him to get the most out of whoever he gets defensively um I feel like a lot of coaches like offensively I’m like you know if you go to like a spoler type they’re G to be good on offense but whereas I think Missoula has shown enough Ingenuity to where it’s like okay yeah Tyson might not be a perfect Defender and he might have a lot of mental issues and technique stuff but you know I’m sure he can figure out a way to to get something positive out of him and especially if Tyson’s a really good offensive player you you don’t need him to be like a great defender he can just be a if he’s just like a solid one that’s going to be enough for him to be a good basketball player yeah and something we didn’t kind of talk about at the top though but like these teams that are confident and should be confident in their development or also just from out from the outside perspective which teams are good at development and can put guys in places to succeed like the Celtics have kind of shown that with with Hower or the Spurs developing ter Qui or the heat developing everyone um and so like as opposed to other places like the Pistons for example over the past couple years have not kind of proven to be able to put guys in positions to succeed uh for a couple of different reasons my guy I you like him Ben from uh from what I’ve seen you’ve got him at uh number 17 but he’s he’s lower on a couple other places Dron Holmes I watched uh your uh Dayton George Washington uh video and he’s the most alfy guy I’ve watched in 20 last 24 hours um I think yeah all of us need to also accept that there will be no Al Horford replacement that’s just the reality is it it’s just going to be different ex Universe once he’s eventually gone even 38-year-old Al Horford this year was um incredible but yeah so he and he’s kind of again this draft all over the place like you’ve got him at 17 there I’ve seen other places have him like yeah the rumors are it’s it’s super weird cuz Don was someone who like again like quote unquote draft Twitter people were like screaming basically since last year that he’s gonna be like a a first round pick a top 20 guy um but it seemed really late for the lead to catch on and there are like tons of rumors that he has promises and stuff like Denver New Orleans Oklahoma City right so I I would bet he’s not there at 30 but if he was he would be like the most perfect Celtic big who can I mean his his whole like unique thing is he’s an incredible dribbler for a big not just someone who’s like not not someone who’s just like putting the ball on the floor in transition but it’s legit like running picking rolls as the Handler doing dribble handoff stuff making guys miss with his handle and that combined with his solid shooting and passing and scoring on the interior and defense like oh my God he would be so perfect in Boston but I would wager that that’s not going to happen a guy yeah go ahead spinny I was goingon to say do you buy the shooting Improvement because I think he had a huge jump I believe this year um in shooting but I mean his stroke looks good especially for like a pretty thick six foot n guy yeah his shot his shot is definitely an an interesting thing I like the steady Improvement year-over-year to this was obviously the first year he you know took any sort of volume of Threes but he’s always been a really good like mid-range post you know mid jumper score which is a nice indicator his free throw percentage while still not great has gotten better every single year and the fact that he takes so many free throws makes that you know makes it harder to sustain a high percentage as well um I don’t think he’s going to be like an elite like what if he shoot 38.6% this year that’s probably lofty for projecting his NBA percentage but Holmes is the kind of guy who especially because of how good of a dribbler he is all he really needs is for defenses to close out so as long as he gets like 34 35% on decent volume I think is that’s going to be enough and I think while it’s not guaranteed that’s definitely an achievable an achievable realm like I would not Shock Me in one bit if he was a a shooter that defenses couldn’t totally ignore all right well that’s yeah like that’s a that’s a pipe dream uh and kle we as well like there’s no way guy that not happening not happening like so like um so a guy that’s been quite firstly shout out the first of for Discord for helping us um or me in particular uh the the Archangel uh put together a big list for me to kind of go from and and go from there so a guy that’s been kind of polarizing in the Discord and in the chat just now Bobby Clint Clint am I saying that right did I get that right um yes he you know um NBL after my own heart in Australia so um but like 69ine Wing ball skills mov pretty well for a guy like that tall 20 years old he strikes me as a guy it’s like how like how bad does he have to be to not work in the NBA like 69ine and can like looks pretty good with the ball in his hands in the short amount of stuff that I watched yeah I’m definitely pretty low on on Bobby Clinton and have been for for quite some time I agree that he looks the part right like I think but when that’s like when that’s the appeal it’s like oh he looks the part he looks like he should be a guy I worry about that right when you like dig into like the nuts and bolts of his game on both ends what is you know what is there to like he’s like you said 69ine a and a fluid mover I think those are the kind of most important things that Bobby has and I’m a huge proponent of like movement skills being really important and a predictor of future upside guys who can just like move really differently have access to a bunch of different things that like other players don’t have on both ends but Bobby Clinton to me I think he falls in the same bucket of like daddad CH kaon George all these guys who were like big projects but I think Clinton’s upside probably just isn’t as high as those other guys so as a lower upside projects which kind of worries me right because most of these guys who end up hitting who are really good like energy guy really good tools guys have some kind of standout trait whereas Clinton like he’s like an okay spot up shooter um he shot look he shot like 36% on catch and shoot threes like on a you like okay volume solid um but can’t really do much else defensively at this point is just totally a mess which isn’t so uncommon for young players especially playing in a pro league right the the the NBL is a very might not have like the kind of like athletes and raw talents but it’s a super physical League really really like well coached league and at least from what seen in my years watching the NBL over the last couple years but yeah I think just um as a guy who to me is like a project Wing without a ton of upside there isn’t really any special traits to bank on because I think he he kind of to me is like the I think the NBA has become better at this where in the past they would kind of take a quote unquote James Youngy type guys who are just like these athletic Wings who look the part and we’ll figure it out from there when I think most people are kind of are realizing like these guys have to be good at something or have to have some foreseeable pathway and if if Clinton is like a very legit shooter I think he could be you know a decent rotation player um maybe if like he ends up getting really good defending the ball his offall defense is a big worry to me but like you know he is like I like we said he’s a fluid mover he’s pretty strong for his age so maybe there’s something there but I would probably just go in a lot of different directions not as much as like I think he can’t be an NBA player I think it’s possible just there are a lot of other bets I’d rather take but he definitely is polarizing um if if part just because of his like low playing time right like in playing in the NBL and I think the NBL is always fun and there’s a couple other NBL prospects in this draft too aside from SAR obviously yes yeah he’s probably not falling probably not unlikely I I’ll bet that’s not gonna happen yeah um yeah I I don’t know a ton about Clinton it sounds like if he puts it together defense L which yeah you’re right like you know what is he 18 19 he’s got the physical attributes like if he figures it out defensively um and the shot actually he is already 21 he’s older than I thought oh is he really okay well that’s also he’s watched yeah see Bobby that’s also another point you know again it’s like if if a guy who’s like 18 or 19 is making these kind of mistakes and it’s like okay that’s happened but at 21 usually players tend to be a little bit more developed in terms of their ability like do the little things and feel the game and not always right there are older players who end up working out and a lot of times in late first round but it’s not like a good sign or anything right it’s like it’s not like I’m not drafting a player because he’s 21 but it’s I’m noticing that it’s a data point yeah for sure um so in our in our quest to replace Al Horford right we got Don Holmes the other guy I’ve been looking at and I I hate him he is very he’s despicable even but Kyle filipowski kind of has like he can shoot it a little bit he’s pretty good on the short roll like he’s not great defensively but I there’s some flashes there especially if the shooting is real and I his jumper looks really good too I I really like flip and I think like I have him in the top 20 of my board and I probably would have taken him in the top 20 last year if he came out um he’s just been a very good basketball player for a long time not like the most exciting flashiest play player but he is a legit seven-footer without shoes who can dribble and pass as well as any big in this draft and I think in the upper level of bigs in the NBA obviously you know there’s the Duke thing the annoying stuff um you know people don’t like whatever but like Jason Tatum pretty good Duke player worked out right for us there you go right like he’s very easy to hate but also you’re going to love him when everyone else hates him and he 100% like then you’re just G that’s going to make you love him more but yeah I don’t I don’t think flip is going to be like a star or anything but I think he’s a really good bet to be a versatile offensive big in the league and I think I think about the Celtics as much as any team in the league who values their bigs to be able to dribble and pass the ball and make decisions on the Fly and I think if filipowski is a good shooter which again his shooting improved this year um up to 30 you know 35% which I think is a totally reachable Benchmark for him um we’re just just kind of like Holmes honestly there are some similarities at least broadly where it’s like because of how good he is at dribbling and getting driving angles and passing all you really need is for guys able to close out and unlike holes though flip will legit like take step back threes and like shoot off movement and stuff whereas Holmes is mostly just like he’ll shoot the open ones he gets where flip is like I’m trying to create shots but I think at this stage even if that’s not going to be really part of his NBA role it’s a good sign that he can do that and he has the confidence to to try that so I think flip would be an excellent um even like you know Al but even like a possible cornette or Tilman replacement as like a third big this year um I think it always helps to to shore up at a position where their you know main investment piece in that Center is quite injury-prone even if he’s incredible um yeah I think there’s a couple bigs the more we look at this I mean Holmes isn’t going to be there but even aside from Holmes there are a good amount of bigs in this range like Holmes I said chomi I love I do like chomi like I watch I was watching your video before even though he’s not really a big um oh yeah someone in the chat just asked about I think he did the Celtics work him out um as well um I’ve got the yeah yeah Jonathan mber right yeah he Celtics worked him out yeah so talk a little bit about about him we can go through some of the guys Celtics have worked yeah yeah that’s probably a good idea mogbo is super weird um where because like you see oh he’s a six6 center who doesn’t shoot and it’s like probably right but then you you see he has like a 72 73 Wings span he dunked the ball more than anybody not named Zack Edy in college basketball which is you know pretty a pretty good feat he is a ludicrous athlete Above the Rim getting by other bigs and even wings with his burst and his speed super strong as well and played a really unique role for San Francisco where he was obviously like their post up Center but he was also bringing the ball off the floor pass ing the ball from the high post and continuing this theme of the Celtics looking for Bigs who can dribble and pass that’s that’s MoGo and even though he’s not a shooter like doesn’t really shoot midband jumpers not a great free throw shooter but mogbo has taken a kind of a weird path like he was a Joo guy who then went to Missouri State and then to San Francisco so better comp every year and has gotten better every year pretty much and has expanded his game every year which is obviously really important and then defensively is you know really St like not the most amazing defense like the most amazing defens defensive player of all time but he is super toolsy athletic like generally pretty smart so mogbo is is a guy who has also has a wide range right like I know there are teams early in the top 20 who really like him and would draft him you’ll see him on Mo in MOX in like the 40s but I think he would be an incredibly good fit um is a little bit older be 23 I think in like December or something but for a guy who I think could contribute this year in a limited role would be an excellent pick if they want to go the route of getting a guy who contribute but also might have some like weirdo upside just because of his really unique like physical statistical profile he’s a smart player um oftentimes the players who develop into Stars unexpectedly and like the you know that that you get in the second round like your go or the late first round like your goar yakum joic Draymond Green they’re all like unique players who it might not be easy to see how they succeed um but yeah like again older player not perfect clean NBA fit as a center but really interesting Prospect who I am fascinated by and I think would be an excellent fit in Boston well yeah I think that’s like obviously I mean trond green people people have kind of stopped doing that like he could be the next draym on green thing because he’s because he’s one one which is they should yeah like but I guess like like you think about the reason part of why that like the Draymond thing works so well I mean Steph Curry is like a game breaker in like the types of players you can use in different ways because he just changes the geometry of how your team can play basketball and the Celtics are similar to that in a way and that like assuming Chris as pingis is able to continue to keep playing basketball it’s like well you’ve got four Shooters one of which is your Center who’s protecting the rim and can space to 32 ft so if you’re putting plugging in a guy like mogbo who’s a sl5 but like can be a monster on the boards defend a couple different positions still keep the offense moving in that in like with just like feel that’s and then you put him into an environment like the Celtics that have creative um you know creative infrastructure with Missoula and Brad and all these guys like I actually I really I like kind of swinging on a guy with those types of tools yeah because like mogbo is for example there are some players who if you draft them or pass on them like you pretty much know what you’re getting like a shyan who I do like um he’s he’s the kind of player who’s like you know what you’re getting with or even like a player like dton connect like at the top of the draft it’s like older Wing shooter if you pass on that you know what you’re passing on whereas mogbo like he could be something much greater than that and much more impactful and even if they don’t necessarily work out like the floor isn’t as High um or I don’t even want to say the floor not being as high but is it not being as easy to conceive it’s like I don’t want to be the team that passes on mogbo in a 30 and he turns into like some weird high impact starter right so that’s part of another reason why I like mogbo so much it it seems like the floor to me is almost like how the Celtics have been using Luke cornette obviously they accomplish the goals in different ways but like he’s a heady passer he’s really good in the handoff game he’s awesome on the offensive glass and he he’s a solid defensive player it seems like he could be that kind of guy for sure yeah uh go ahead he got next all right uh so I I feel like we have to talk about this guy I I don’t love him uh but I think the fan base is really really likes Ryan Dunn um I I think offensively he’s not great but also Man Tony Bennett Virginia like they run a weird system uh you know he doesn’t allow those guys a lot of offense of Freedom so I wonder if he gets into sort of a more open floor more spread offense maybe he can show a little bit more but obviously you know defensively awesome but how do you feel about Dunn uh at 30 for the Seas dun would be would be a fine pick I think there would be guys I would prefer more there would be picks I would like a lot less I have done like in that range pretty much exactly on on my board and it’s my evaluation and yeah he is just such an extreme polar opposite player where I think Dunn is like not maybe in terms of projection but right now is clearly the best defender in the draft there there’s not not a player in this draft who’s a better Defender than Ryan Dunn but I think on the inverse there might not be a player who’s worse offensively than Ryan Dunn and I think for a team like Boston that asks a lot out of all of its offensive players it’s pretty rare for non-true centers to like exist in the the Brad Stevens era Boston Celtics without being able to do stuff on the perimeter um but I think dun would be a worthwhile swing cuz he he really is one of the ultimate like if he shoots types where Dunn is like a really really poor offensive player my general comparison or thought about about Dunn has been like a Jared Vanderbilt type who has some like real utility in certain matchup like he was chasing Steph Curry on screens in the playoffs a couple years ago but but then again we’ll just get totally played off of the floor either really um but it’s it’s very rare for players who were that poor offensively in college right I I do think there are some of the Tony Bennett is a has done basketball war crimes and yes like is it is doing him no favors that is 100% for sure but again terrible free throw shooter not good touch indicators not a willing shooter really is a o fine okay passer but nothing really crazy um if they feel confident they can develop his offense and get him to the point where he’s hitting spot up threes because I I can’t imagine he’s ever going to be like a real um like driver decision maker type so it’s it’s a card sell for for me Boston wise just because of the kind of offense they play um but I do think if they’re just like through the the kind of view of we’re swinging for we’re swinging for upside we are looking for guys with special traits and I think dun makes makes sense I definitely see the I I would say I’m pretty like Centrist on him and I see the the positive and negative arguments he’s a very interesting player though I think for sure yeah absolutely um all right well before we move on before Jake throws out another name here we’ve got to pay the bills first of the floor is brought to you by game time if I were lucky enough to be in Boston right now I’d be filling the void left by the end of the NBA season by getting into the Red Sox and the MLB game timer is authorized ticket Marketplace of Major League Baseball which makes getting tickets faster and easier prices on Game Time app actually go down the closer it gets to the first pitch with killer last minute deals all in prices views from your seat and they’re lowest price guarantee game time takes the guest work out of buying MLB tickets I’ll actually be heading up to Pitts B about 70 Mi North from me to watch my least favorite English Premier League team uh Liverpool play Spanish giants real batis and my buddy got actually got the tickets on game time uh he was able to take advantage of all the great game time features such as last minute tickets Flash Deals and Zone deals easy to find and buy MLB tickets or any other ticket for every kind of event in your area you can preview views from all of the seats in the venue plus lowest price guarantee event cancellation protect protction job loss protection and more so take the guest work out of buying MLB tickets with Game Time download the game time app create an account and use code CNS for $20 off your first purchase terms apply again create an account and redeem code clns for $20 off download game time today last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed well done bra thank you thank you um yeah I’m I’m very impressed by your ability to do ad reads live that’s like I as someone who has has run and edit a podcast I’m like I that’s impressive thank you thank you we’re flying from the hip dude Championship Championship pedigree over here dude that’s right yeah running it for the finals um yeah it’s an interesting like on one it’s like two things it’s like okay do you draft a guy like someone in the chat said you know brassette didn’t C shoot or score and he was helpful in the regular season he even helped us win game two against the Pacers and then the paces kind of figured out the small ball thing after that um but like he’s not a playoff guy like he’s not going to be a guy that’s ever going to be in a playoff rotation like done yeah I think with guys like brette and I saw some like Jaylen um those guys were significantly better Shooters than dun at the same age where right one of the main predictors of improvement or all two are I think most people know about free throw percentage being important and like volume at a young age is really important be being willing to get shots up and it is quite rare for players who do not shoot to then become high volume confident Shooters and just looking at some numbers right his O’Shea’s freshman year he shot 7.3 per 100 attempts on 33% 78.7% from the free throw line Jaylen Brown at around six attempts per 100 very low percentages 29.4 um 65% from the line Ryan Dunn in his sophomore year at Virginia this past year 2.5 attempts from J per 100 35 total attempts 53 .2% from the free throw line so it’s like even though I do agree that like it’s possible that he ends up being being a shooter like the level just sounds like hope though that’s just like I’m just to yeah it’s like the level to which dun is behind is like much more than a regular like bad young shooter right where it’s not like it’s like okay this guy he’s like 60 66% from the line 30% from three on decent volumes we can work with that where it’s like no dun is like a hesit hesitant on catch and shoots which again I think it’s possible like I wouldn’t totally rule it out and I think because of that he’s wor he would be worth a swing in this range um I want to make that clear that I think I absolutely understand the sure the hype and like wanting to take it but it’s it’s like I I don’t know I would not feel good about betting on on D to to shoot threes at any point at like a meaningful clip it’s just not it’s not something that are are like that history suggests is going to you know necessarily be a thing that happen so yeah well like going back to that thing how we said like teams have different goals the Celtics should be drafting guys that they want to play in the playoffs potentially and like Don is not I think he could be a great a regular season guy but it’s like you I think we can find veteran minimums guys that can feel regular season eating eating Ro eating eating role similar to O brette where I like this guy that I’m going to bring up now teren teren Shannon Jr I really liked his tape too that guy he’s is he Jaylen brown light he gets downhill attacks the rim he’s he freaking take some deep threes like he’s he’s got some confidence I I like his uh I like the cut of his jib from the eight minute highlight really I watch fun to watch in Maine yeah yeah yeah exactly yeah I mean he’s a guy who I think I think he’s probably similar I I see him at a similar value at least to to Dun where he doesn’t really have any like special traits where it’s done it’s you know it’s like has this L genuine like gamechanging ability to where if he can improve other things it’s like okay this guy is going to be a legit legit impact player where Shannon it’s like solid in a lot of areas like it’s like good open floor athlete like really quick has improved a ton as a shooter over the last couple years right um but one as we kind of talked about before is like quite olds um I think he’s is he already 24 I think not yeah yeah he’s close he’s about to turn 24 right yeah um whereas like that’s again possibly indication that there isn’t a ton of growing left there you know there definitely will be 24 is not people’s primes but it is nearing that that level um where where I think Shannon is kind of this again comes down to the thing where it’s like if the Celtics think they’re GNA have a hole on the wing this season then it makes sense to draft a player like Shannon who isn’t probably going to be a star ever but might have the ability to come in hit a couple threes attack a close out play some solid defense um but if the Celtics like we don’t have a spot for that it’s probably not worth waiting till he’s like 27 to to find out versus drafting a guy where it’s like would you rather have 27y old teren Shannon or like 21y old like dadia or Kon George or chomi or something like that so I think Shannon picking Shannon would again just like depends on what you’re looking for and what your priorities are where it’s like if they want to I mean he’s not a hous replacement just because like very different players like if they want a guy who can play on the wings sooner than later then yeah I think it makes a lot of sense but if they want to keep with their theme of going for maybe more projecty types who if one hits they really hit then it’s probably not the right option but like I said depends on your priorities I think teren Sharon is just like really fun player to watch dude he’s he’s he’s a wild card man but I would wouldn’t hate him at 30 I think it would you know shooting is real um that’s one last one last mock TR for work and I did actually give them Shannon at 30 okay all right nice let’s go not yeah I just think it would make sense as like a we’re not sure about our depth next year we’ll just get a guy who we know is going to play I do think his improvement over the years is also very notable like since his days at Texas Tech um where he was really just like a super shaky shooter like not a super confident offensive player versus where where he’s you know come to at Illinois now and yeah I think it would again like kind of like you know like a Dun or like some other these players there might be players who I would prefer or I think might might be a little better fits but it would but but it’s not a pick that would make me scratch my head or really like I would yell at it all yeah let me ask you this do you think Shannon’s offense is better than o sha resets right now and that’s an impossible question to answer I know so you can dodge it if you want it’s crazy probably DOD it probably probably I mean the what that bar is pretty damn low right yeah right exactly and he played for us is kind of what I’m getting at you know he got 6 definitely be a regular season minute eater for sure like that’s definitely you know and at the 30th pick maybe that’s what you’re getting right you’re like okay we just you know we don’t see a guy who we think is going to be a real playoff contributor Let’s get someone who we know we can rely on to keep the ship afloat when you know if if Tatum or brown has some injury or you know we’re resting them or whatever yeah um should we throw out a few I know we’re running low on time here I don’t know if you want to wrap up but a couple names at 54 really quick yeah I’ve got time for a couple okay here we go this is my guy I’m not sure if he’s gonna drop to 54 Justin Edwards from Kentucky that Lefty stroke man I can’t get it out of my head it’s so he’s generally projected higher than that but is he damn but anyway all right Jake who you got well well they worked him out um but SP you go ahead like I feel like you you you you like kind of have your head around college basketball a bit more than me like I just I’ve just cramed for this test today so like I feel like if you’ve got some guys um go ahead uh Antonio Reeves um just hey he can shoot you know when you’re at 54 like do you think there’s any CH I mean I see him mocked pretty late or undrafted even I mean you think there’s any chance they target him that deep in the draft I think he could totally be there and I think um re would be a really Sol a really solid pick there he like you said is an incredible shooter not like the biggest guy and most athletic but someone who can come off screens hit some shots make some basic passes hopefully Play Some solid defense totally totally a bench swing that I would like and Edwards even though like I said I don’t think he’s gonna be there um and I’m definitely a little lower on him but I think 59 would be a good spot for him because he is you know he’s fairly built he has a nice catch and shoot jump jumper solid on ball Defender is like a little bit older and lacking in like this the skill in field departments but as a second round pick right just talking about more guys who can fill minutes on the Wing makes sense as well um I see someone in the chat yelling about Tristan Newton who I adore okay please so I would take Tristan in like the top 40 or even even higher personally like I think it’s absurd that he’s going that he’s being mocked this low as like a obviously main reasons probably just being that he’s an older guy um has been around a long time but there are plenty of other old prospects who are getting pretty high looks and is good at basically everything um a good shooter one of the best passers pick one of the best pick and roll players period in the draft really effective driver and slasher crazy smart player on both ends incredible screen Defender and ball Defender very very smart player overall he is someone who I think could legit be like a we can fill playoff minutes with this guy in in year one or two and I don’t think that’s something that I can say one thing that this draft does have a good amount of the they’re like the small guards are pretty good I mean and is not even that small where I think a lot of a lot of these small guards to end up flaming out of the league are um just like they don’t have the size to compete I think of like uh I don’t know like guys who I liked like Malachi Flynn or like cashis Winston who super super talented gifted players but just couldn’t hang or even think about a guy like Pritchard who was an older guard who succeeded and I think a like big reason for that is because he’s always been really physical and strong and can can hold up and though Newton isn’t like strong he’s like wiry thin he’s tall and long and I think that has a similar effect so he would for sure be one of my favorite picks at um at 54 I think who else like H Harrison Ingram I know the Celtics worked out and you made a video for like kind of a point forward type guy like nice feel like slow like yeah I made a Harrison video like three years ago um least I’m pretty sure that’s why like after his freshman year at Stanford and he has gotten a lot better since then which is good where at this point he’s more of like an off ball Wing type but another one who I think at 59 or like 58 or whatever would be a Monumental steal as someone who just should not be there um and might fall because he’s a little older or not super athletic but again improved a ton as a shooter this year um not the greatest indicators in terms of free throw but like the volume is good he’s a great mid-range scorer super smart passer really smart Defender another player who not only like can fill minutes on the wing but I think maybe could be a playoff type player because of how smart he is and how skilled he is and though this is kind of what we talked about with Tyson but instead of going from college to the pros it’s from one college team to a better college team it’s like at North Carolina they didn’t really need him to ever handle the ball because they had a bunch of other good guards and great players but those skills don’t go away they just kind of manifest in different ways so instead of a guy like Harrison Ingram bringing the ball up the floor and running pick and rolls it’s like using his handle to score off of closeouts and second side actions and transition and I think Ingram feels quite Celtics see to me because of his versatile offensive skill set um another one who I don’t think is going to fall um I would like to say something about Chi a little more yes yeah please dude because if they think they’re keeping hawford and tman man this guy like Robert Williams like if if like if we could draft Robert Williams this doesn’t exist because Robert Williams is perfect but I like Chi except his knees except for the KN yeah we’re drafting Robert Williams with functioning functioning ligaments like place but um yeah Chi is someone who might they might have to take at 30 or maybe he’ll be there at 54 I have no idea um I’ve heard that there are teams who like him who are picking in that late first range I’ve also seen plenty of mocks that have him late in the second so I I don’t really know where he’s gonna go but he to me is one of the most intriguing upside swings in this entire draft I think he is the single youngest player in the draft if I’m not mistaken yeah he is yeah he’s not even he’ll be 18 when the draft happens Ste I’m pretty sure yeah he’s like yeah he’s he’ll be like eight he’ll be 18 in like six months which is crazy um or he’ll be 19 in six months I mean yeah which is absurd barely barely you know the deadline to be eligible for the draft and he is very raw right which which comes with the part but not maybe as much as I would have thought before watching him where he is a really small he’s a really smart passer and one of the things that um I always like and appreciate um about chamchi is his willingness to try stuff and his kind of like fearlessness I think the fact that he’s so like inexperienced in raw helps that he he doesn’t like he doesn’t know what he’s not supposed to do so he’ll do like he’ll like take tough jumpers and try to beat guys off the dribble and often often times it’s not working or looking good but the the moments where it does it’s like holy [ __ ] like that is really impressive and of course defensively is like the main selling point where he has some of the best athletic tools in the entire draft the not just his vertical explosion and like length but his ability to move side to side um to kind of track back and forth like drop back and pick a NE covers and to slide on the perimeter and again someone who is like a Bruno kaboko two years away from being two years away but with some of the most intriguing upside in draft I think for a team like the Celtics to it’s like we’ve been good at developing players we don’t need our guy to play right away could be a really intriguing option to where yeah we just like let this guy sit in the g-league and learn and you know hang on Maine for a while until we’re ready to end up playing this person if they’re able to and I think he would bring a lot of the same elements that a player like Rob Williams did that like Above the Rim finishing some playmaking some Rim protection never really like perfect but I think for for goal he played goalie too goal which is so so crazy dude a terrifying thought of like a six 610 guy with like a seven4 Wings spin whatever probably can touch both ends of the door yeah so awesome it’s like again for a Celtics team who especially if he’s there at 54 right it’s like we’re not gonna play anyone who we draft we might not even play anyone we draft at 30 might as well take someone who we think could be a legit impact starter down the line and I think chch tomchi is that that that guy and he’s someone who I didn’t really expect to like to be honest um like I I’m kind of surprised that like he’s as interesting as um he actually is because he’s not just like a totally raw clueless player who who can’t play and doesn’t know what he’s doing it’s like he has some feel and he has some some skills but I would be totally fine taking him at 30 I don’t know if they will but I think that’ be totally fine pick yeah you’d be Bonkers to pass him at 54 I think like the upside is just so crazy I doubt he falls that far I mean like even if he’s been mocked there it’s one of those guys where it’s like I doubt it somebody’s gonna yeah take the flyer on him for sure um I I’m kind of out of names here J let’s let Ben Ben get rid of unless Ben unless you want to throw any more out like you talk to do I saw someone in the chat saying about AJ Johnson who I do like and I feel like I can Pander to your NBL bias um yeah we go yeah Justin Tatum Tatum’s Dad I think coached him so there you go I think AJ Johnson is the second best NBL Prospect in this class which isn’t saying a ton just cuz I I don’t love like because you hate Bobby and you and obviously he’s not sa so I mean you know it’s like all the other guys are like Bobby like Trenton flowers like mon The Vicious like a bunch of fringy guys but I think AJ of these fringy guys is definitely the most interesting where he is like a tall point guard with Incredible movement skills and has shown the ability to pass the ball out of pick and roll and to honestly defend a little bit above his above the level that I kind of expected him to um I didn’t really love his tape in high school to be honest I’m kind of like he’s someone again who I’m surprised to I’m surprised how much I like in terms of like a second round flyer because he wasn’t really that interesting to me as a high school Prospect but in the NBL ke he got a lot better like reading the game out one of the things that he’s really good at that I value is like keeping his dribble alive and keeping his options open which a lot of young players are afraid to do or can’t do he’s like super weak in the frame needs a lot of work but right another like 19-year-old who’s super mobile and can get over screens and stuff um overall so and and I think it’s worth noting and this is something that true for chomi as well is both of them played really good in the combine scrimmages which isn’t everything but I think people are kind of waking up to that it does kind of matter like you’ll see guys like Jaylen Williams Christian Brown Andrew nart who all dominated that setting and though it’s you know one or two games I think it’s an interesting one or two games because there’s no coaching or system or teammates to hide you it’s a bunch of dudes you don’t know and have never played with and a coach you don’t know and whatever plays you don’t know it’s like all right just go hoop just go figure it out and AJ looked great chamchi looked great especially considering the the combine scrimmages are generally an older group right and both of those guys are teenagers so I think Johnson is like I wouldn’t want himit 30 but sure in the second round I I would very much be be cool with that um and I think holding bronny hostage would be funny yeah H how’s this for a comp for AJ like a smaller version of Jaylen Johnson just like athletic long good handle and that’s kind of about it right now but there’s something there yeah maybe I mean just like someone who can really like that would be great I don’t know I me I don’t mean he’s gonna be as good I just mean from like a SK yeah I see the I see your vision right just thank you that was very nice I mean there’s a like there is a lot of value in players who are tall and can dribble right it’s like I don’t know what else you can do but that’s a super valuable combination of traits and something I think very very worth vending on I did have a bit where I would like early in the season every time I did a mock I would just give the Celtics bronie because I think it’s funny it is funny yeah come on down LeBron come get him come get him so funny I really I I really do hope they take him in the second round if he’s available he so h i mean that’s that that’s a fun little sub plut to the troughs it’s just it is the bronny thing like what’s gonna what’s gonna happen uh and I think he’s pretty solid like you know he’s probably a little better than he’s getting credit for but like still is like would be objectively hilarious if like the Lakers took him in the first round that would be awesome that be so good I love it it’s like the biggest like franchise sabotaging movie I know uh JJ reck he he’s he’s got he’s work cut out for him I don’t think he’ll oversee that one I that one I think he’s probably got too good of a head on his shoulder shoulders for that but that seems like a Darin ham type of move honestly yeah well hopefully they release a mind the game episode breaking down uh bronny james’ draft tape before had say I don’t know I see it could he could fit right along he play the two play the three um that would be awesome look Ben you’ve been incredibly generous with your time um Ben Fifer on Twitter um on YouTube as well um just like a variety of really good Hoops content I think the first time I really got turned on to you was after the um the Tilman trade I looked up on YouTube you had a Xavier Tillman is a genius video that is one of my like most viewed YouTube videos that’s cuz the Celtics fans baby there we go right it’s got like no it got like no views at the time and then like once the trade happened I’m like oh my God this video has like 8,000 views what the hell and so I’ll have to make a video of everyone who of whoever the South draft and be like this player is the next Super that’s it’ll work it’ll AB next jayen Johnson yeah I do adore Xavier someone though and I yes also just want to say how want to express how much I love Jaden Springer and I hope they pick up all right interesting all right well that’s good because I’m I’m like is he just not like Ryan dun I don’t yeah he’s guard Ryan D but like yeah uh seems like I don’t love him and that I think he’s gonna be good I love him and that I love him all right yeah yeah he’s yeah man we we we we saved him from the Streets of Philadelphia and brought him in um and he’s instantly become a champion so uh we’re most of y’all can’t say that he’s an NBA champion that’s that’s right champ champ but yeah Ben spoony it’s beeno a pleasure Ben everybody go follow Ben Fifer we’ll have all the the details in the in the description but yeah um incredible just a ball Noah just a ball Noah and we we need more of those um all right everyone thank you for the chat thank you everybody talk in peace I love the Celtics [Music]

Draft guru Ben Pfeifer joins us to break down the Celtics’ options at the upcoming NBA draft, including the best options at the 30 range, ideal targets, the potential for trading the pick, and much more.

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Spooney’s Offseason Primer: https://www.celticsblog.com/2024/6/23/24183794/deep-dive-boston-celtics-offseason-options-brad-stevens-derrick-white-sam-hauser-luke-kornet

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