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Boston Celtics mock draft 3.0: Team to target forwards in 2nd round

By James Carson

May 25, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; The Boston Celtics dance team waves flags before the start of game five of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
May 25, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; The Boston Celtics dance team waves flags before the start of game five of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 17, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward OG Anunoby (3) shoots the ball while Butler Bulldogs forward Andrew Chrabascz (45) defends in the first half of the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Round 2, Pick 37: OG Anunoby, SF/PF from Indiana

Mock drafts are, strangely, very scattered in terms of OG Anunoby’s placement. Draft Express has him going fifteenth overall to the Portland Trailblazers, while NBADraft.net has him falling to the Celtics at pick 37. It be a bit surprising to see Anunoby fall out of the lottery, just because he is very talented, but it would be extremely shocking to see him fall all the way out of the first round. For the purposes of this mock, we will roll with Anunoby at pick 37 simply because he is a fun prospect to look at.

The source of the uncertainty regarding Anunoby is that he only played sixteen games this season before he had to have knee surgery to repair his ACL. In his short season, Anunoby scored 11.1 points per game on 70.1% shooting from two-point range. He also averaged 5.4 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.3 blocks. Anunoby became a player who Indiana trusted to finish inside the paint and who showed an ability to defend every position.

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Anunoby’s defensive prowess heightens his value, but he does have a weak jump shot. He appears to be a better defender than Jae Crowder, but a worse scorer. Given the ball inside, Anunoby could prove more valuable than Crowder and pair well with Jaylen Brown’s developing outside shot.

If he does fall all the way to 37, the Celtics will need to snatch up Anunoby with no questions asked. His skills on defense and potential for development on offensive make him more likely to be a mid-first rounder, but some teams will take his injury into consideration more than others.

A steep fall is unlikely, but Anunoby is a name to keep an eye on as the first round moves on. If he is not picked, expect the Celtics to pounce when they get their shot.

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