Gordon Hayward signs with Celtics: 5 questions we have

4. Which recent draft pick contrbute off the bench

Condemn Danny Ainge all you want for his lack of patience but his overload of assets makes life much easier in filling out the rest of the 15-man roster. The Celtics have nine sure-fire players on the roster including the new man Gordon Hayward. The question now is what will the rest of the roster look like?

2016 European draft-and-stash players Ante Zizic and Guershon Yabusele look like a good place to start. Zizic has already come to terms on his rookie deal which will pay him a low base salary of $1.645 million in 2017-2018 as the 23 pick in 2016. Zizic, 6-foot-11, gives the Celtics a much needed rebounder and rim protector that has been seriously lacking in Boston. The Celtics ranked No. 27 in the NBA in rebounding differential. Zizic showed some flashes of brilliance in his first Summer League action scoring 9 points and 5 rebounds in 19 minutes. Still not convinced Zizic is a factor? Interestingly enough, Zizic’s former coach overseas is none other than David Blatt who gave his former player a ton of praise.

"“One guy that sort of comes to mind is [Steven] Adams from Oklahoma. And he’s certainly turned out to be a pretty fine player. That’s the first guy that sort of jumps out at me when I think of a comparison.”"

Yabusele could also factor in but the Celtics aren’t sure if they are going to keep him overseas for one more year. Yabusele, 21, was brought over to the G-League affiliate the Maine Red Claws late last season. Yabusele, the 16 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, played well in two G-League contests putting up 18.5 points a game. Yabusele, otherwise known as ‘French Draymond’, primarily played last season in China where he averaged 20.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game over the course of 43 appearances. The Celtics hope the French native can develop into Draymond Green of course as a 6-foot-8, 260-pound, power forward that fits the mold of the modern NBA. It’s possible he starts the year out in the G-League and develops into a steady contributor over time, but the Celtics believe both European prospects will develop into studs.

Factoring in second-round pick Semi Ojeleye also seems to be a logical choice. Ojeleye, 22, is a very similar player to Yabusele who has a sweet shooting stroke that makes him the perfect developmental stretch-four prospect. Ojeleye is a former Duke transfer that flourished at SMU this past season where he averaged 18.9 points per game along with a .424 percent clip from 3-point range. Ojeleye can probably come in and play some minutes off the bench immediately as a proven college product. Adding those three players gives the Celtics a solid 12-man unit. Abdel Nadar, a 2016 second-round pick and Daniel Theis, a recent acquisition from Germany, could also play into consideration.