Let's play a quick game of "Guess Who?" Shall we?
He is an incredibly athletic forward. He is a defensive menace. He can't shoot. He's a limited offensive player and can't shoot. And he is a member of the Boston Celtics. Who am I?
Surprisingly, the answer isn't Jordan Walsh or Hugo Gonzalez. It's Dillon Mitchell, the St. John's forward that Boston selected with the 40th pick in the 2026 draft.
The Celtics have a good history of taking gambles on these defensive-minded athletic forwards who can't shoot and hoping to get the most out of them, whether it be in the draft, or through free agency/trades (also see: Josh Minott, Chris Cenac Jr. to an extent, and even Jaylen Brown if we want to go that far back).
And with their Mitchell selection, it looks like they're hoping to repeat that same success.
Boston will hope for Dillon Mitchell to continue its development trend
Boston keeps making these bets because they keep working (and, in the modern NBA, you can't have too many defensive wings).
While not a lockdown shooter, Walsh actually has real offensive upside (he shot 38.4% on 1.8 three-point attempts last season). Gonzalez has incredible potential and already looks like he can be an elite NBA defender for years to come. And even though his tenure in Boston was short-lived, Minott played some of the best basketball of his career with the team (and turned into a legitimate 3-and-D guy). And we already know how well it turned out with Brown.
If there's one thing the Celtics know how to do, particularly under their current regime, it is how to turn anybody into a reliable two-way player. And even though he likely won't make much of an impact right away (his offense is way too limited as it is), there are reasons to think Mitchell can keep this trend going.
Dillon Mitchell can be a long-term asset to the Celtics
The Florida native is already an NBA-level defender. He is a 6-foot-8 forward who can guard multiple positions, brings a ton of energy on the floor, can run in transition, and is switchable.
Mitchell is also a fantastic rebounder (6.3 rebounds per game in four collegiate seasons; he averaged 7 at St. John's last season), largely due to his explosiveness, athleticism, and hops (which could also make him an intriguing lob threat and potential downhill threat down the line).
He is also a horrendous shooter, which is going to be a big problem in Boston's perimeter-centric offense (it's called "Mazzulla Ball" for a reason).
Throughout his collegiate career, Mitchell shot 11-for-57 from deep (19.3%). Last season, he shot 1-for-15 (.067). Boston's turned poor/limited shooters into dependable ones, but even this seems like a tall task (if he shot this poorly in college, it would be a borderline miracle for him to shoot even somewhat well behind a deeper arc against way better defenders).
For him to turn into a legitimate rotation player, he's going to need to find his shot. But even if he doesn't, there is still a lot to like about his game and what he can bring to the table in Boston.
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