Boston Celtics rumors: Mo Bamba may end up in Boston
By Sam Minton
The NBA Draft is less than a month away and rumors are swirling that the Boston Celtics may be looking to move up to draft Mo Bamba.
The 2018 NBA Draft is an interesting one for the Boston Celtics. For the last two years the C’s have had lottery picks, but this year they may have to wait until pick No. 27. I say may because the rumor mill is churning at an epic rate and apparently the Celtics are interested in getting a big man.
According to Sean Deveney of Sporting News, the Celtics are very intrigued by Mo Bamba and went as far as to interview him at the pre-draft combine in Chicago two weeks ago. If anybody could finagle a trade it is Danny Ainge.
Bamba is an athletic freak. He is a giant standing at 6’11” and has a wingspan of 7’10” (a combine record). Bamba would improve the Celtics overall rebounding and low post play. At Texas, Bamba averaged 12.9 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks a game. He caused chaos in the paint.
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Bamba is still so raw. He only spent one year at Texas and the thought of Brad Stevens molding this big man into his own basketball Frankenstein should have fans foaming at the mouth.
Bamba is also a decent shooter as he shot over 50% from the field. Just imagine Kyrie Irving lobbing up passes to Bamba and the duo working the pick and roll to perfection.
Bamba won’t be cheap
Bamba is projected to be a top 5 pick and is being linked to the Atlanta Hawks who hold the No. 3 pick. Plain and simply Danny Ainge is going to have to work some magic once again.
The Celtics have a bevy of future first round picks and could use these to land in the top 5.
Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier are also some names that are being thrown around as trade bait. Now Rozier struggled in the playoffs, but he still proved that he is a possible starting point guard on a different team. If the Celtics used him to move up in the draft I wouldn’t be too upset, but the C’s can’t give up Brown. He may have his struggles, but when Jaylen Brown is on he is impossible to guard. He is an effective mid-range shooter who explodes to the rim.
It would definitely be a delight to have a true big man in Boston who strikes fear in opponents when they enter the paint, but the C’s can’t overpay for a guy who is still so young. If Ainge does make a move I would expect him to pay the right price.
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If the Boston Celtics draft Mo Bamba they would be a beast from the inside all the way to the 3 point line.