With two late first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics will have two stabs at getting a promising young player for coach Joe Mazulla to develop.
The Celtics will pick 28th and 32nd in the draft, hoping to land a high-potential player on a low salary amid the team's cap space struggles.
The new Collective Bargaining Agreement restricts the team from having a massive payroll. If a team reaches a certain salary level, it cannot make certain trades or sign free agents for more than the league minimum.
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The Celtics' payroll is facing a massive cut during the off-season after high-priced veterans are traded, leaving opportunities for the draft picks.
Chris Forsberg of the NBC Sports Boston projects the Celtics taking Ryan Kalkbrenner out of Creighton with the No. 28 pick.
"The 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner packs pure size and might be the best rim protector in the draft. If you’re not certain that Luke Kornet will be back, Kalkbrenner can fill some of Luke’s void (even if no one can fill his entertainment value)," Forsberg wrote in a mock draft.
"Kalkbrenner’s age (he’ll turn 24 as a rookie) isn’t ideal, but we think it gives him a Payton Pritchard-like chance to contribute from the start of his pro career. That he was teammates with Baylor Scheierman at Creighton is a fun storyline, too."
The Celtics' drafting Kalkbrenner provides an immediate replacement for Kornet, like Forsberg mentioned, with a cost-controlled contract.
The downsides to drafting an older college player like Kalkbrenner is the limited ceiling and time to develop. As a 23-year-old, his game has already matured near its capacity.
Only a few of these older draftees end up improving drastically; rather, most end up providing an immediate impact at the cost of untapped potential.
Since Jayson Tatum is set to miss the upcoming season, a higher-potential player should be considered, but the Creighton big man still does have some room to grow as a floor spacer, which could make him a starter in the NBA.
At the very least, he is a back-up center that should help any team win.
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