2019 NBA Mock Draft: The Boston Celtics clean up

In this week’s 2019 NBA Mock Draft, we look at how the Boston Celtics could control the draft and dive deeper into a few prospects from top-five teams.

As always, projected standings are based upon FiveThirtyEight’s CARM-Elo rankings. This version of the mock uses projections as of Feb. 17, with the four worst teams in the league jockeying for position to get the best lottery odds, clearly separated from the rest of the NBA and with no improvement in sight.

The Saturday night battle between Kentucky and Tennessee as well as Gonzaga’s close call against San Diego provide the backdrop for deeper scouting on several first-round prospects.

Away we go:

Gafford is probably wishing he hadn’t stayed in school. Unfortunately for the talented big man, he is struggling through much the same issues that hampered Robert Williams’ growth at Texas A&M last year — improving, but not expanding his skill set in any special way. In addition, traditional big men aren’t as valuable as they once were, more like relief pitchers in baseball than high-octane starters. After trading John Henson this season, Milwaukee finds a solid rim-prowling big man here.

Herro has been incredible the past few weeks for Kentucky, who after a blowout over No. 1 Tennessee sit fourth in the nation. Herro is a smooth shooter with legitimate size who moves well off the ball and is growing in his ability to attack closeouts as well. He needs to work on his finishing ability around the rim (he missed two fast-break layups in the second half against the Vols on Saturday) but you can easily see this guy slotting into a shooting specialist role right away in the NBA, with room to grow from there.

This pick comes the Spurs’ way as a result of the Kawhi Leonard trade, and Schofield fits perfectly with the core of young guards (Derrick White, Dejounte Murray and Lonnie Walker IV) San Antonio has brought in. Schofield’s neverending effort was noticeable even in a loss Saturday at Kentucky, as the versatile wing defended everyone from Keldon Johnson to P.J. Washington to Reid Travis over the course of the game. He had multiple deflections on interior passes to the Wildcats’ bigs and flashed a broader skill set than when I saw him in person in December, coming off pin-downs inside the arc as well as playmaking in a two-man game with teammate Grant Williams that worked nicely several times.

For the courtesy of clearing Kenneth Faried off the Nuggets’ books, Brooklyn has a chance to add to its backcourt talent with Dosunmu, a smooth, efficient playmaker who has led Illinois to four straight wins.

As Philadelphia looks to replenish its depth after two win-now trades this season, Dort could provide defensive versatility with the upside to take on more of a playmaking role down the line. He’s very skilled for his size but he will need to learn how to use his frame to make more of an impact driving and finishing in the NBA.

Jones possesses the second-best transition assist to turnover ratio in the nation this year and already has become the best point of attack defender in the NCAA. He is slight but his value is already apparent on both ends as a likely backup point guard in the NBA, someone Boston could flip as a developmental opportunity for another team or use to fill in their depth after a big trade this summer.

Check out our full scouting report on Tre Jones.

The 20-45 range of this year’s draft is full of exciting forwards (McDaniels, P.J. Washington, Nazreon Reid and more) who project nicely defending multiple positions in the NBA. McDaniels, with nice steal and block numbers as well as boosted playmaking efficiency during his sophomore season, is one of the best.

Houston forfeited this pick to clear luxury tax money this season and upgrade its roster with Iman Shumpert, giving Cleveland the opportunity to swoop in and nab a big man who has the tools to one day protect the rim and space the floor.

ESPN currently has Washington at No. 17, which feels high when you consider the questions about where he will fit in the modern NBA. However, if he keeps scoring and rebounding as he has in conference play for Kentucky, fit can be figured out. Against Tennessee on Saturday night at home, Washington was magnificent, scoring in isolation, off cuts, diving in the pick-and-roll — he was everywhere. Washington told analyst Jay Bilas in “94 Feet” that the biggest difference this year for him is the confidence to take and make big shots. It showed in the Wildcats’ biggest win of the year.

What is a strength of Utah’s right now could quickly dissolve into a weakness in coming summers. Jae Crowder, Royce O’Neale, Thabo Sefolosha and Kyle Korver (all of Utah’s wings outside Joe Ingles) will be free agents the next two summers, meaning the Jazz should be proactive filling those holes before they spring open.

Williams is one of the smartest players in the entire draft. Now that he, as ESPN reported during the Saturday night telecast of Tennesee’s loss to Kentucky, is down below 10 percent body fat, his finesse game is catching up to his acumen. Against the Wildcats, Williams was incredible drawing attention driving to the basket or from the post and finding open shooters. He also, like his teammate Schofield, never relented with energy despite the deficit blowing to 20 early in the second half. Williams could be a fantastic role player for Portland, filling some of what Moe Harkless and Evan Turner do for this team as two-way playmaking wings.

On Saturday night against San Diego, Clarke flashed the effort and intelligence that makes him so special. On one fast break in the first half, Clarke, an incredible athlete in his own right, caught a pass near the free throw line and immediately tipped it open to a teammate cutting baseline for an easy dunk. It was a small play that encapsulated Clarke’s willingness to play the right way and why he would fit so nicely with the Spurs.

This pick comes by way of the Clippers and allows Boston (or whomever they trade the pick to) an opportunity for a high-ceiling offensive big man who was considered a potential lottery pick in the better 2018 draft class. If the Celtics could walk away with Jones and Porter with their non-lottery picks it would be a massive victory in their quest to create an enticing trade package.

Check out our full scouting report on Jontay Porter.

In next week’s mock draft, we will break down Okpala after a live look as he and the Cardinal head to Tempe to take on Dort and the Sun Devils. But he fits marvelously within Brooklyn’s system thanks to his improved 3-point and free-throw shooting. Consider him an eventual piece on the wing in the mold of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

We know Orlando traded for Fultz but let’s not pretend that solves their problems at point guard. White is an exciting modern guard with size who could compete with and play alongside Fultz.

Check out our full scouting report on Coby White.

A perfect complement to Blake Griffin who could start at the off guard spot but pick up playmaking duties in bench units, Alexander-Walker has a developed, modern game that would allow him to compete right away in the NBA. The sophomore is making 42 percent of his 3s and has more than doubled his assist rate this season.

It’s tough to gauge the Zags against the majority of conference opponents, but a tight contest on the road against San Diego was helpful as a benchmark test for Hachimura’s ability to run Gonzaga’s offense and create efficient shots in the halfcourt against a surprising Torero defense.

It had been a while since we took a close look at Hachimura (not since an early-December loss to Tennessee in a neutral arena), but his decision-making looked more sound on Saturday night in southern California. While he turned the ball over three times, he was smarter getting the ball out of his hands and initiating the Gonzaga offense when transition opportunities broke down. While the Bulldogs play at a top-60 pace in the country with nearly 72 possessions per game, the team can also space the floor incredibly and has playmakers at every position in the starting lineup. Hachimura is the focal point but is getting better playing off the ball and knowing the right play in simple pass vs. shoot situations.

Several times against San Diego, Hachimura dribbled to about the free throw line in semi-transition before making a good decision — popping for a midrange jumper over the defense before it could get set or dishing to a corner shooter or even dribbling back out to reset things.

Hachimura has already surpassed his minutes total from last season and despite that playing time and an increased usage rate, he has maintained his statistical impact on defense. The junior’s 1.8 percent steal rate and 2.6 percent block rate are very nice for someone his size who handles such a large portion of the offense for an efficient scoring squad. Indeed, Hachimura’s defensive box plus-minus this year is the highest of his career.

The package is obvious, beneath all that: A 6-foot-8 playmaker with the handle and shooting touch to score through and over the top of defenses is immensely valuable. As his decision-making and defensive impact balance his offensive burden, Hachimura will continue to rise back into the lottery across the league and put on a show in March.

Okay, now for the Celtics breakdown you were all promised. But first, a prediction: Boston can acquire Anthony Davis via trade and cap off their grand plans this summer to keep Kyrie Irving happy and turn into a title contender without giving up prized asset Jayson Tatum.

Think about it. The Celtics can offer a very young, raw prospect like Doumbouya, who returned this month from a thumb injury and picked up where he left off using his huge frame and incredible athleticism to impact the game up and down the box score. They can offer young talent such as Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier and Robert Williams as well as next year’s Memphis first-round pick (top-three protected) and the other two first-rounders they own this season (Los Angeles’ and their own, as noted above). A package of Brown, Rozier, Williams, Doumbouya, Tre Jones and Jontay Porter plus the Grizzlies’ 2020 pick and several of the Celtics’ own picks down the line is at least competitive with what the Lakers reportedly offered at the trade deadline.

Stacking the salaries this way (Rozier would be part of the deal as a sign-and-trade) will help Boston avoid the salary-matching issues worried about in the past when they envisioned trading for Davis. At one point, including Al Horford or Gordon Hayward was the only way to concoct a deal that worked with New Orleans. Now, with Rozier getting a pay raise and so many young first-round picks potentially being added into the deal, Boston can make it work. Doing the trade in the summer when fewer players are on contract also makes this easier.

So while Doumbouya as the centerpiece of a deal is silly, it’s worth noting that those who are optimistic that the Lakers missing the playoffs might sweeten their offer for Davis are forgetting this pick, which Sacramento owes Boston, and the fact it will likely be higher than that of the Lakers.

Quietly (and I mean almost silently. People seem to only want to talk about Porter when there is drama or excellence), Porter has put together two solid performances for USC back to back. After ten points last Wednesday against Stanford on the road, Porter followed up with 14 points on five shots in a victory at California.

In addition to Porter scoring more efficiently, he has put more of an emphasis on his playmaking, with six assists over the past two games to show for it.

Perhaps this is a result of Porter’s prolonged spat with the basketball program at Southern California that made some believe he may not play again this season to rehab a quad injury or simply prepare for the draft away from campus. Coach Andy Enfield wants players to move the ball and find good shots on offense, which is why plays many versatile players together almost all the time. It’s also likely why he shut Porter into the corner on many possessions as a floor-spacer when he ultimately returned from that quad injury in January. Enfield was sending a message: Play the right way or don’t at all, draft position be damned.

Rather than leave school and have poor play and infighting be his lasting impression at USC, Porter has looked like a different kind of player this week. Certainly, the infighting may still be going on and the questions about attitude and chemistry will be on the minds of talent evaluators until they get into a room with Porter before the draft, but getting back on the court, being effective and playing smart team basketball has helped Porter’s stock in our eyes.

Garland made headlines this weekend even as he sits on the sideline rehabbing a torn meniscus in his left knee. The freshman sensation from Vanderbilt who earlier this year left school to prepare for the draft, officially signed with Klutch Sports, the agency led by Rich Paul which has dominated the NBA the past few weeks with how it has handled Anthony Davis’ trade demand and the fallout thereafter.

Perhaps not coincidentally, Garland joins his draft classmate Darius Bazley as prospects who signed with Klutch after deciding to leave (or, in Bazley’s case, skip) college to further their professional opportunities. Bazley is interning with New Balance as a result of what Paul called a “broken system” that deincentivizes amateur players from attending college. No such groundbreaking opportunities have come Garland’s way as his knee heals but joining the lineage of empowered players who have flocked to Paul to pave their way in the new NBA is noteworthy.

Three generations of Klutch clients posed at All-Star weekend to celebrate their partnership with Paul, the man some would tell you is taking over the league.

https://twitter.com/cashville_etc/status/1097199095326724097

James, Davis, Bazley, Garland, Ben Simmons and Miles Bridges represent an incredible group of players clearly forging a relationship with one another. It’s great company for Garland to be in as he makes his way into the league coming off a lost college season and a tough injury. Ironically, it could be New Orleans who takes a chance on Garland’s prolific talent as they reset post-Davis.

Check out our full scouting report on Darius Garland.

Johnson was fantastic helping to put away the Volunteers at home last Saturday night, flashing the incredible shooting ability that will make his offensive game stand out to NBA talent evaluators. Early in the game, forward P.J. Washington got the majority of touches and coach John Calipari was running the offense through him to exploit the mismatches against Tennessee’s smaller bigs and their poor transition defense. However, Calipari then transitioned to a lineup with four bench players and Johnson, at which point the freshman wing took over.

They ran the same hammer set for Johnson a few times consecutively at that point in the game, freeing Johnson to drive toward the basket. His first made field goal was an open floater off that play over the top of the defense. Then, when starting point guard Ashton Hagans returned to the game in a two-point guard lineup, Johnson got open off of Hagans’ penetration and took advantage of lazy Tennessee defense to make both.

Calipari made good use of the lineup with both Hagans and backup Emmanuel Quickley in the game and Johnson was able to bend the defense off-ball. He beat Tennessee wing Admiral Schofield cutting backdoor across the baseline and Schofield ran into a pindown screen to give Johnson an open 3 from the corner. Swish.

Altogether, Johnson scored 11 straight points in that stretch to give Kentucky a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. His length will stand out for his defensive upside but his offense and shooting ability are what stand out most right now. Johnson is shooting 41.4 percent from distance and would bring needed versatility on the wing to Charlotte.

Check out our full scouting report on Keldon Johnson.

Suddenly, the Hawks have a fully fledged core of several players already contributing to winning basketball that they need to build around. John Collins has a 63.6 true shooting percentage and scooted up to a 23.5 percent usage rate seemingly overnight after missing the beginning of the season. If you remove a rough November, Trae Young is shooting 35 percent on a heavy volume of 3s and scored 23 or more points in five straight games to end January. Finally, Kevin Huerter, a late bloomer in the 2018 draft, is shooting almost 40 percent from 3 this season, making a ton of attempts from way downtown and flashing the secondary playmaker instincts he showed in college. All this is to say the Hawks approach with this pick is different than it may have been entering the season.

Hayes balances upside with fit for Atlanta, filling the remaining hole at center and giving the team an anchor for its defense. Yet he won’t turn 19 until the end of May and has a ton of space to get better. We’ve highlighted before Hayes’ deficiencies as a screener and overall, getting bigger, using his strength and handling NBA big men will be the next challenge for him. It happens more quickly than we expect for some big men, with fellow Texas one-and-done Jarrett Allen the most recent example who became solid in the NBA almost right away despite entering the league raw.

With just a 17.4 percent usage rate and an offensive game focused on energy, Hayes could fit right in alongside the other young Hawks. Young is always going to struggle on defense and while Huerter has nice size for a two guard, he came into the NBA more for his offensive prowess. Collins has fallen off slightly as a rim protector, blocking just half a shot per 36 minutes, making Hayes’ value in a drop defense against the pick-and-roll immensely valuable projecting forward for Atlanta.

Little left yet another game at halftime after falling hard onto the court this week against Wake Forest. Coach Roy Williams said after the game he kept Little out for the second half of the Tar Heels’ victory in an effort to allow him to rest both his ankle and his head after the fall. Certainly, North Carolina has enough talent to withstand Little’s absence and taking it slowly is best for the team long-term as well as Little’s health.

It does put into perspective, though, how little an impact Little has had most of the season for North Carolina that they can miss him for a game and a half and not miss a beat. Hopefully, he can reintegrate into Williams’ rotation by the time the conference and national tournaments arrive and use the opportunity to showcase his talents one last time before the NBA Draft process begins in early summer.

This pick for Miami would mean leaning even further into their backward versatility with Justise Winslow at point guard. As soon as the 2020-21 season, the Heat could be building around this pick, Winslow, Bam Adebayo and Josh Richardson, forming the type of dynamic modern team that can compete against the best NBA teams of today.

Of course, Miami is always a destination for prospective free agents as well and just made moves to limit the luxury tax payment this season and move toward avoiding it entirely next year. That young core along with the flexibility to potentially add a superstar is a lot better a place to be than Miami was even at the beginning of this season, and the upside of someone like Little would make the future even brighter.

Check out our full scouting report on Nassir Little.

Culver continues to stand out as one of the only consistent offensive options for Texas Tech in what has clearly become a rebound year for the Red Raiders. He quickly turned from a floor spacer and defensive weapon into a primary initiator for coach Chris Beard as a sophomore and hasn’t looked back.

Perhaps most shocking about Culver’s rapid progress and his ability to efficiently handle the increased opportunity is his shooting efficiency. Culver is shooting 50 percent from the field despite taking four more shots per game than last season and the team’s offense is seven points better per 100 possessions when he is on the court, rising from the 150th best unit to a group resembling North Carolina’s dynamic scoring machine.

Yet there are clear issues. Namely, Culver is not an impressive athlete and has failed to cut his turnovers down while taking on added responsibility for Beard and Texas Tech. As Ben Rubin notes by breaking down the numbers, that limits his range of outcomes. He likely won’t reach the level of raw athletes turned All-Stars like Paul George or Kawhi Leonard, or of incredible secondary playmakers such as DeMar DeRozan or Brandon Roy. More likely are bigger tertiary playmakers, a still solid list that includes winning players like Khris Middleton, Chandler Parsons or even Evan Turner.

While that’s not as incredible as his rapid progress might lead you to believe he might be, Washington grabbing another capable playmaker and a solid defender in a down season would be tremendous. After shipping out Kelly Oubre and Otto Porter, the Wizards need more depth on the wing. Culver is a nontraditional option there that could really help John Wall and Bradley Beal.

Here are the priorities for Memphis: Find someone who fits with Jaren Jackson Jr. long-term and who can run the offense once they move on from Mike Conley, potentially as soon as this summer. Langford checks both boxes.

The freshman is a big guard who has slowly but surely upped his scoring efficiency over the course of the season and possesses the defensive versatility to one day defend multiple positions in the NBA. He has outlier block numbers for a combo guard with a 2.6 block percentage, swatting one shot per 40 minutes and he is about the only thing keeping Indiana’s team together at this point in the year. That also means on offense, where his huge 27.4 percent usage rate and 55.5 true shooting percentage are a solid statistical combination for a freshman lead guard with little talent or shooting around him.

Through four games in February, Langford is averaging 37 minutes per game, in which he is scoring 16.5 points on 47 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from 3 while dishing 2.8 assists. Somehow, Indiana has lost three of the four games. You have to wonder if, after recruiting the Indiana native Langford, coach Archie Miller may already be on the hot seat in his second season if Indiana doesn’t make noise in the conference tournament.

In Memphis, Langford would be better served, potentially playing alongside a mentor in Conley next season and joining another young dynamic prospect in Jackson Jr. with whom he could grow.

Check out our full scouting report on Romeo Langford.

If the Hawks could truly walk away from this draft with both Hunter and Jaxson Hayes, they would have to be delighted. Each is a high-floor player with upside to grow into starters on championship teams. Both are versatile talents who fit beautifully with the Hawks’ core. Both come from programs that have typically produced high-character players in the NBA. All things considered, it would be a perfect scenario for Atlanta.

On Monday night against Virginia Tech in a Rivalry Week matchup televised nationally, Hunter was fairly quiet. The sophomore scored just 10 points and grabbed four rebounds in 26 minutes of play during a close win. It was fairly surprising to see Virginia squeak out a win on the road without a big game from Hunter, but his defense was characteristically solid and it ended in a win, so there’s not much to complain about from the game.

A player like Hunter who could slide in and play either forward spot for the Hawks would be a perfect transition for both parties. Hunter would be able to be the third or fourth option, just as he is most nights for the Cavaliers and Atlanta would get more defensive presence in their starting unit alongside Trae Young and John Collins, two players who will carry the offense. Imagining a unit made up of Young, Kevin Huerter, Hunter, Collins and Hayes is dreamy.

The Hawks are close and this draft could take them closer.

Check out our full scouting report on De’Andre Hunter.

When you have one good thing, two is always better. That’s what we thought this week reading Jonathan Tjarks’ feature on Otto Porter and the rejuvenated Bulls this week over at The Ringer, in which Tjarks dissects all the reasons Porter and the Bulls have had symbiotic success in their short time together.

Here’s what Tjarks wrote about how Porter’s incredibly hot shooting portends even more growth for Chicago’s core going forward:

“It doesn’t matter; the numbers aren’t as important as the potential he unlocks for everyone around him. The threat of Porter’s jumper will still create space for his teammates even after his percentages normalize. Defenses cannot leave him open.”

Sound familiar? Before a clunker this week against North Carolina State, Reddish was on a 17-of-43 (39.5 percent) stretch from distance over the course of just four games, signaling how hot he can get when he’s healthy and the talent around him is operating at full capacity.

He also pulled out a sick stepback 3 that showed more than anything he’s ready to pull a little more out of his bag of tricks as Duke preps for a championship run this spring. Maybe Reddish will become the March standout we’ve been waiting for.

Check out our full scouting report on Cam Reddish.

Barrett on the Cavaliers is one of my favorite fits in the lottery at this point. His shooting and playmaking ability on the wing is a perfect fit next to last year’s first-round selection for Cleveland, Collin Sexton. The two would provide the type of size and defensive potential that can be hard to find in young guards, turning a weakness after the Kyrie Irving trade in 2017 into a strength in just two years’ time.

Somehow, Sexton has shot 39 percent from 3 and surpassed expectations in what was expected to be the weakest part of his game. But that’s difficult to expect going forward considering he was only a 34 percent shooter from 3 in college. However, even if he can be average from distance and maintain elite free throw shooting, that weakness can flip. The other big problem for Sexton has been turnovers. That isn’t helped by a weak roster but Sexton has 129 turnovers this year compared to just 167 assists. He had the same issues at Alabama. Ideally, the Cavaliers will find someone who can share playmaking duties with Sexton and help keep the defense honest.

Barrett is a solid shooter who can get hot quickly but is only at 34 percent on the year. He struggles turning the ball over just as much as Sexton despite an All-World rotation around him at Duke. It would be a work in progress. But bringing in another guy with the size to compete on defense and who will provide balance as Sexton grows into an NBA point guard is vital and Barrett checks the boxes.

The Suns’ need for a point guard is well-documented at this point. We’ll never know how things could have gone but their inactivity filling the hole at that position means they were able to prolong their tank and move back into the high lottery this season. One factor in that mistake that doesn’t get enough attention, however, is how cruel it was to coach Igor Kokoskov, whose motion system is built around having multiple players on the court who can make plays with the ball in their hands. He hasn’t had an ideal roster suited for his system even one game all season.

T.J. Warren, the standout development success story who topped his game off with a 3-point shot this year, rarely passes and does not provide enough help on the glass to play power forward, the position he has started in all season. Deandre Ayton is a rookie whose passing is better than imagined but he is not a traditional playmaker by any means. Devin Booker can only do so much. The rest of the rotation is rookies or recently added vets learning Kokoskov’s system.

Many wonder whether Phoenix will actually make this pick. They subtracted far more from their scouting team than they added to it when they gutted former general manager Ryan McDonough’s staff eight days before the start of the season. New GM James Jones has been actively touting his plans to change the roster considerably this summer, adding as many as five new pieces.

So while Ja Morant is the clear non-Zion Williamson choice should the Suns land this high in the draft, maybe we should listen to recent history and stop expecting logic to dictate how the Suns address their hole at point guard.

Though we decided to take a break from Duke basketball this week to watch some of the other top prospects, Williamson didn’t take a break from dominating. The phenom went for 27 points and 12 rebounds last Tuesday in a double-digit comeback against Louisville that ultimately helped Duke claim the No. 1 ranking in the country, then followed that performance up with 32 points and six rebounds on Saturday night against North Carolina State. While his playmaking is not as consistently showing up in the box score as it did early in the year, Duke hasn’t missed a beat and Williamson is a massive reason why in all areas of the game.

Let’s take a look at the playmaking, though. Williamson was the primary initiator for most of the early part of the year for the Blue Devils, especially early in conference play as both Tre Jones and Cam Reddish missed time. As Jones got more comfortable and R.J. Barrett has slowly started to play more within himself, the pecking order for Duke has solidified. Jones is the igniter in transition and starts off most halfcourt sets, with Barrett as the attacker who has a green light all the time. Reddish spaces the floor and attacks broken-down defenses, while Williamson is a ramrod the moment he gets the ball and while playing with bench units makes plays from the post. It’s an embarrassment of riches that allows Williamson to actually play off the ball and be used creatively, showcasing his wide variety of skills.

However, it’s unlikely Williamson will be able to play this way in the NBA. That’s so damn exciting. This is a guy who will get to adapt and improve over the course of his career because of how talented he is. Case in point: Williamson would be unimaginably fun either as the third banana alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving or soaking up the spotlight in New York himself.