2018 NBA Mock Draft: Who’s moving at the top?

This one couldn’t be more perfect. The Celtics are nearing the end of the “fill out the entire bench with young guys” phase of their rebuild, and entering the part in which those young guys get really good and earn hefty contract extensions. With Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier and Marcus Morris on the bench, there is significant talent that won’t be starting games for Boston. Drafting Musa would shore up their wing offense even further while also giving them a prospect to reinforce the team in the future.

The Croatian wing is averaging 12.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game this year and projects to be a very versatile offensive player. He can space the floor several feet behind the 3-point line, attack closeouts and make smart passes. He is not unlike Maryland wing Kevin Huerter, but without the buzz that will make him so hard to get.

The Celtics are going to become incredibly expensive once they re-sign Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, one of their backup guards and Jayson Tatum. That doesn’t even include a new Al Horford contract. Musa may not come over for a year or two, but that would work nicely on the Celtics’ timeline, if they have to move on from interesting youngsters such as Semi Ojeleye in order to retain their top-line talent.

And because they do have so much defensive depth, the Celtics could use Musa to his fullest potential, even shifting him over to power forward in certain lineups and using the threat of his shooting to open up the floor. Always trust Brad Stevens.