Re-Drafting the 2013 NBA Draft

Mason Plumlee. 16. player. 18. <p><strong>Original pick: Lucas Nogueira (traded to Atlanta)</strong></p> <p>As of the summer of 2016, the Boston Celtics don’t need more big men. In fact, the team has some big decisions to make on which of their stockpile of bigs to hold on to for the future. In our world, though, Boston takes the best player available, and that is Mason Plumlee.</p> <p>Plumlee isn’t a star-level player and he won’t ever reach that, but as a role player, he brings a ton of value. The rangy big man from Duke is a very nice rebounder (10.2 rebounds per 36 minutes in his career) that can finish around the rim and, most importantly, provide defensive value using his length and athleticism. Offensive skill isn’t really his thing (i.e. 58.3 percent at the free throw line with no ability to stretch the defense) but that is a luxury for a bench option.</p> <p>We have officially reached the point where projections won’t even reach high-end starter level, but rotation bigs that can play center effectively on defense are in high demand. Plumlee is often confused with his own brother, but during his time in Portland and Brooklyn, he has been an asset and that continues for Boston in this mock scenario.</p>. PF/C. Duke