NBA Draft Prospects Interview With Celtics

Jul 5, 2013; Waltham, MA, USA; New Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, right, shares a laugh with General Manager Danny Ainge during a news conference announcing Stevens new position. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

The Celtics are making sure that they get the right amount of time in with some of the best prospects in the upcoming NBA draft.

With two, top-20 picks and plenty of roster to fill in, the Boston Celtics are going to make sure they are as thorough as possible with every player they are looking at with either of their first-round selections. ESPN.com was able to get some dirt on what took place during the interviews with a handful of players on the C’s radar. Let’s take a look at what three of the best players in the country said about their interviews with the Celts (Remember, each excerpt is grabbed from Chris Forsberg and ESPN.com):

Nik Stauskas (Michigan, SG, 6-6)

“My interview with [the Celtics] was actually very short, but it was all positive. I lived in Boston the last few years of high school [while attending St. Mark’s in Southborough, Massachusetts] and Danny Ainge was telling me he actually saw me play a few times in high school and AAU because I played against his son [Cooper]. So he’s seen me for a while. And Brad Stevens is obviously a great coach. He’s also very close to my assistant coach at Michigan, LaVall Jordan — they were at Butler together.

Julius Randle (Kentucky, PF, 6-9)

“[The interview with Boston] went well, just getting to know those guys, their coach, and it just went well. The Celtics have a lot of tradition, and it was just an honor to be talking to those guys. A lot of teams are just trying to get to know me as a person. They’ve heard a lot of good things, as far as my character and things like that, and they obviously know me as a player and what I have the potential to be. They just want to get to know me and my family as well. The Celtics are a young team, [Stevens] is able to relate to young guys and he kinda knows the adjustment, because he’s making that adjustment as well, making that jump from college to pros.”

Noah Vonleh (Indiana, PF, 6-10)

“[The Boston interview] went pretty well. It was real quick and brief. They told me they want me to come in for a workout and they’ve been watching me since high school. I’ve been watching Boston growing up [in Haverhill]. I’ve lived in Boston my whole life. It would be great to play back at home in a great organization. They’re not a championship team right now, but they’ve had a lot of championships raised over the years. [Stevens is] a great coach. I watched him when he was at Butler. Now he’s at the Celtics. I think I would fit pretty well into his system.”