The Boston Celtics draft success under head coach Brad Stevens

The Boston Celtics are Brad Stevens team, with 8 of the current players on the roster being drafted during his time as the head coach.

The Boston Celtics are the best team in the NBA, and it’s all thanks to Brad Stevens. His success in transforming the Celtics into a winning team has been excellent, and it’s not going to slow down anytime soon.

One place where Brad Stevens really excels is in the NBA Draft. He was brought on as the Celtics head coach in the summer of 2013, after the draft, so his first crack at it was in 2014. Somehow, he’s gotten better and better each year in his evaluation skills.

Boston has 8 Stevens-drafted players on their roster, and most are making a big contribution. The Celtics may win the NBA title this season or next, and homegrown players will be key to the team success. Here, I have to chosen to take a look at just how well Brad Stevens performs in the draft. Sure, he’s had a lot of picks and a lot of chances to get things right, but so do a lot of other teams. Brad Stevens is not the only one with a say in Boston’s draft picks, but you know he carries a lot of weight with his vote. Since 2014, his responsibility to draft has likely grown, and the 2017 swap of the top pick surely had his hands all over it.

2014

The Boston Celtics made just two picks in the 2014 NBA Draft. The first was a home run for Brad Stevens, but the second never lived up to expectations.

Round 1, Pick 6: Marcus Smart

Marcus Smart, the first pick of the Stevens era, has continued to develop each and every season. He was a contributor right away, playing an average of 27 minutes per game in 2014 for a team that went just 40-42. He put up 7.8 points, nabbed 3.3 rebounds, and dished out 3.1 assists per game as a rookie. Smart has continued to improve and now, in his 4th NBA season and as the longest tenured member of the Boston Celtics, he’s averaging 9.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game in 30.8 minutes off the bench. He’s a key player on Boston’s second unit and as an occasional starter. Without Smart’s presence, the Celtics probably would not be in the position that they are, even with his poor 31.7% shooting percentage.

Round 1, Pick 17: James Young

James Young never cut it as a member of the Boston Celtics, and he’s not performing much better now that he’s with the Bucks. In three seasons with the Celtics, Young played in just 89 games. He averaged 8.4 minutes in those games and put up just 2.3 points. Young is now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks but is playing in the G League for the Wisconsin Herd.

2015

Once again, Brad Stevens got his first pick right in the draft, but the three other picks never panned out. Terry Rozier is a key bench player for Boston, but R.J. Hunter and Jordan Mickey now call other NBA cities their home. Marcus Thornton isn’t even in the NBA at all anymore.

Round 1, Pick 16: Terry Rozier

Terry Rozier is stepping up big time in his third NBA season. He averaged 8 minutes per game as a rookie, 17.1 last season, and is now up to 23.3. Rozier is putting up 9.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. He’s had some huge game as well though, breaking out for 23 points and 6 rebounds against the Magic in November. If Rozier continues to improve, he may eventually develop into a sixth man candidate for the Boston Celtics as they make a run or two towards an NBA title.

Round 1, Pick 28: R.J. Hunter

R.J. Hunter played in just 36 games for the Celtics as a rookie, and he only put up 2.7 points per game. He was waived by Boston on October 24, 2016, and signed with the Chicago Bulls three days later. He played in just 3 games for the Bulls and is now a member of the G-League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers, who are a Houston Rockets affiliate.

Round 2, Pick 33: Jordan Mickey

Jordan Mickey spent two seasons in Boston, averaging 1.4 points per game in 4.8 minutes. The LSU product signed with the Miami Heat this offseason, and he’s actually playing a little more and averaging 3.2 points per game.

Round 2, Pick 45: Marcus Thornton

I’ll keep this one short. Thornton was a long shot out of William & Mary, and now he’s playing for the Canton Charge alongside Kendrick Perkins.

2016

This is where things must have gotten really fun for Brad Stevens. He was able to make 8 selections over the two-round draft, and his top choice is becoming a superstar in Boston.

Round 1, Pick 3: Jaylen Brown

Jaylen Brown is a key member of Boston’s young core, and he’s still getting better and better. In year two. JB7 is averaging 14.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists for the Celtics. He’s shooting 45.7% from the field and seems to get better in each game. The Boston Celtics have a bright future with Brown on the team alongside stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.

Round 1, Pick 16: Geurschon Yabusele

The Yabu dab is all anyone in Boston wants to see right now, so here it is.

Yabusele is splitting time between Boston and Maine this season, and he’s developing into quite the talent. It may take a few more years for him to become a stable member of the Celtics bench, but it will be worth the wait.

Round 1, Pick 23: Ante Zizic

Ante Zizic was a great pick just for the fact that he was included in the deal that sent Kyrie Irving to Boston. He’s played in 9 games so far for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he hasn’t really broken out for a big game yet. Right now, even with the inclusion of Isaiah Thomas, the Celtics have won that deal.

Round 2, Pick 31: Deyonta Davis

Deyonta Davis didn’t even end up spending the 2016-17 season with Boston. He was dealt to Memphis in a deal for the 2019 Clippers 1st Round Pick. He played in 36 games for Memphis and is still there in 2017. He’s averaging 2.1 points and 1.9 rebounds per game in his young career.

Round 2, Pick: 35: Rade Zagorac

Rade Zagorac was also part of the draft day trade that sent the Clippers-pick to Boston from Memphis. He never appeared in a game for the Grizzlies and was waived by them this October.

Round 2, Pick 45: Demetrius Jackson

Jackson played just 5 games in a Boston Celtics uniform last season and he was waived this July. He then signed a two-way contract with the Houston Rockets.

Round 2, Pick 51: Ben Bentil

Ben Bentil was drafted in June of 2016, was signed in July, and was then waived in October. He was then signed by and waived by the Indiana Pacers. In February, Bentil signed a 10-day contract with the Mavericks and appeared in 3 games. Now, Bentil is playing in France.

Round 2, Pick 58: Abdel Nader

At this point, when you look at how many second-round Draft picks fail, Abdel Nader is a steal. He has finally gotten a chance to play for the Celtics this season and in 12 games he’s contributed 1.6 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.3 assists per game in 7 minutes. A lot of people think that Nader can develop into a solid player on Boston’s bench, but only time will tell.

2017

Well, we all know that Jayson Tatum is going to get Rookie of the Year consideration, and he’s become Kyrie Irving’s go-to man in the fourth quarter. The jury is still out on Ojeleye, Allen, and Bird though.

Round 1, Pick 3: Jayson Tatum

Jayson Tatum is averaging 14.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game as a rookie starter for the Celtics. He’s an NBA-best 51.9% from behind the 3-point line and is lights out in the fourth quarter. Alongside Irving and Brown, Tatum is a key member of this Boston Celtics squad.

Round 2, Pick 37: Semi Ojeleye

Semi Ojeleye has already appeared in 25 minutes for the Celtics and he’s averaging 14.2 minutes per game. He’s shooting a solid 41.7% but isn’t getting too many shots up. He’s solid off of Boston’s bench and should develop into a great role player.

Round 2, Pick 53: Kadeem Allen

Kadeem Allen is a really good player for the Maine Red Claws right now. He’s putting up 15.7 points per game to go along with 5.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He should eventually get a chance in Boston.

Round 2, Pick 56: Jabari Bird

Jabari Bird is actually out-playing Kadeem Allen in the G-League. He is averaging 20.1 points per game, behind the leading scorer, Geurschon Yabusele.

Clearly, Brad Stevens hasn’t made the right choice with every single one of his draft picks, and these are by far the worst. These players did nothing for Boston, and they likely never will. Still, the success he has had far outweighs these poor choices.

The Worst Picks

• 2015: R.J. Hunter
• 2015: Jordan Mickey
• 2016: Deyonta Davis
• 2016: Rade Zagorac

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Stevens best picks are simply amazing. Smart, Rozier, Brown, Nader, Tatum, and Ojeleye are all contributing for Boston this season. The Brown and Tatum duo is going to be huge in the future as those two players continue to grow together, and they may one day be one of the best duos in the league.

The Best Picks

2014: Marcus Smart

2015: Terry Rozier

2016: Jaylen Brown

2016: Ante Zizic

2016: Abdel Nader

2017: Jayson Tatum

2017: Semi Ojeleye

Next: Daniel Theis transcending his importance

Brad Stevens is going to win an NBA title in Boston, and he will likely be the Celtics coach for a long, long time. If he continues to draft like he has, the Celtics will be good for the next decade plus, and it’s not even in question. Stevens has grown into one of the league’s best coaches and he’s able to pull so much out of his talented players. So, don’t fret Boston Celtics fans, because this team is in extremely good hands.