The Celtics are finally getting some well deserved rest this weekend, following Boston playing an NBA-high 13 games through the first four weeks of the regular season. There have been further adjustments with Joe Mazzulla’s lineup choices with the breakout of Jordan Walsh but the emergence of one center in Charlotte led to multiple questions in this week’s mailbag.
Hi Brian,
Always enjoy your insights and analysis on Masslive. Any thoughts on why the Celtics traded pick #32 this year rather than keep it to draft Kalkbrenner, and should they have? They were widely mocked to take him and he seemed like a great fit as a young center to work into the lineup as a strong backup to Queta (and maybe supplant him). I do see the value in the future picks they acquired plus Williams, but Hugo and Ryan would have made a strong 1-2 pick combo. Not to mention they passed on Filipowski to take Scheierman last year. So adding a lot of 6′5″ guys but not much size. Thanks, Sean
Given the state of the Celtics big man depth chart, it’s fair to look at the success of a guy like Kalkbrenner and wonder what if. However, it’s important to remember that just because a guy is available doesn’t mean he would have been taken if the Celtics kept the pick. We don’t know what the Celtics draft board would have looked like at that spot.
Would they have taken him now if they knew Kalkbreener would have looked like this? It’s a fair guess but the same is true for pretty much anyone who passed on him in the 10-15 picks before No. 32. It’s also been 11 games. Kalkbrenner looks like a steal for his finishing ability and rim protection but he also doesn’t have NBA 3-point shooting range (only one attempt) and his defensive rebounding rate is on the same level as Luka Garza. He’s undoubtedly a good pick for a second-round selection but it’s too early to say he would be an upgrade over Neemias Queta given their similar skillsets as shooting limited bigs. As a backup big? Obviously, the Celtics would have given him plenty of opportunity.
Boston piled up four extra second round picks by moving down from No. 32 and used one to help dump the salary of Georges Niang, which saved the team tens of millions more in luxury tax penalties. That’s not a fun thing to advertise but is also a reality for a team that went all-in financial over the past two years.
Given that it looks like the Celtics hit on their Hugo Gonzalez pick at No. 28 and likely plan to address the center position at some point in the next 12 months, it’s not worth losing sleep over missing on Kalkbrenner. If he keeps this up for a full season, we can talk.
Kalkbrenner was a guy I really thought would fit the Celtics at 28 or 32. When Fleming fell off the board and Brad traded out of that spot, it felt like the move was a little too cute. Why do you think they passed on him or a handful of other bigs at that spot for worse 2nds? — Mark B
More Kalkbrenner talk! This is what happens when a guy is shooting 83 percent I guess. It’s important to note that the Celtics did get four second round picks in this deal (although two were used in this draft).
For a team that needs to replenish their draft asset cupboard after the last few years, it’s important to leverage these second-round picks well if you aren’t in love with a guy left on the board. Trading down checked a few boxes for the Celtics on that front. It helped them add some draft capital to move off some unwanted salary (Niang) without touching the team’s current roster. It also gave the Celtics a chance to leverage future picks in other deals.
Boston has done an impressive job of this recently to add to their asset cupboard, turning a late first-round pick in 2023 into four separate trades that led to six second-round picks. Brad Stevens didn’t do quite as well with this one but he was able to achieve multiple other goals with the deal.
Ultimately, if the Celtics loved someone on the board there, they probably would have taken them. Instead, they punted to add a couple more picks for the future. Ultimately, the Celtics will need to add more to the big man spot, but trade or free agency feels like the more likely path at this point than a young big given where the team will be once Jayson Tatum returns.
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