NBA Draft 2019: 5 targets for the Boston Celtics

5. Grant Williams, Forward, Tennessee

First and foremost, Boston’s frontcourt needs an injection of youth. Al Horford and Aron Baynes are both aging, while Marcus Morris and Daniel Theis are likely to depart in free agency. Drafting Texas A&M’s Robert Williams in last year’s first round is a good start, but the Celtics saw how perilously thin they could be up front for stretches last season as Horford and Baynes struggled with injuries.

Enter Grant Williams, who was one of the most outstanding players in all of college basketball this past season. The engine behind two-seed Tennessee’s run to the Sweet Sixteen this March, Williams averaged 18 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists per game on 56 percent shooting from the field en route to his second consecutive SEC Player of the Year Award and finished sixth in college basketball in BPM with a +13.5. However, some size concerns (he stands just 6-foot-7 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan) and an underwhelming showing at the combine have prevented him from climbing up many teams’ draft boards, which makes him an intriguing option for one of Boston’s later firsts.

For the Celtics, Williams’ appeal lies in his versatility. Think of him as the successor to Marcus Morris. He’s a natural 4 with the quickness to line up alongside Horford and handle forwards and larger wings, but strong enough to fill in as a small-ball 5 and hold his own in the paint. He makes up for his lackluster length with elite basketball IQ — he sees the game exceptionally well, and always seems to be in the right place. Offensively, the 3-point shot is still a work-in-progress (he shot just 32 percent on limited attempts this season), but a nice mid-range jumper and an 82 percent mark from the free throw line suggest the potential for improvement. He’s also an outstanding passer and could contribute the kind of frontcourt playmaking that has made Horford so invaluable to the Celtics’ offense the past three seasons.

Ultimately, there’s a lot of value to processing the game at a high-level, and Williams is one of the most intellectual players in this draft class. He may not develop into a star, but he’s one of the safest bets in the draft to be a good NBA player in some capacity. If he’s available at 20 or 22, he’d be an outstanding value pick for Boston.