2018 NBA Mock Draft: What if Memphis wins the lottery?

If Huerter continues to build momentum (the draft fortune-tellers at The Stepien recently plopped him into their top 30), Trae Young may have competition for the quickest release in this year’s class. Not only does Huerter get his shot off quickly, he makes the decision to shoot out of nowhere, creating an offensive threat missing from the Celtics’ roster this year without Kelly Olynyk.

Huerter isn’t the level of athlete or defender Boston typically targets, but at some point simply having as many of those guys as the Celtics do leads to diminishing returns. I was impressed with how Daniel Theis’s energy in the frontcourt provided such a refreshing impact for the team until his injury. Huerter could have that same impact on the perimeter, and he’ll get up for a surprising block or dunk every so often. You have to have a certain amount of offensive upside to compete in the NBA.

As a tertiary piece for Maryland, Huerter benefitted from having the freedom to make decisions in open space, like Jake Layman and Justin Jackson before him. Attacking closeouts by rattling the rim isn’t his strong suit, so Huerter sometimes will pump fake, look for a pass and just pull-up all over again to create an open shot. His range is already at an NBA level, and Huerter is developing an in-between game that will force defenses to react to his drives more attentively.

The Celtics will need shooting once Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving soak up the majority of possessions, with so many defensive pieces already playing well. Huerter would be a great option.