Celtics, Brad Stevens, NBA Draft
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Brad Stevens, president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics, answers a question during a press conference at Boston Celtics media day at the Auerbach Center on September 29, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts.
The Boston Celtics are projected to land 6-foot-8 defensive ace Dailyn Swain with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman has compared the Texas Longhorn forward to New Orleans Pelicans‘ Herbert Jones, who is widely regarded as one of the best perimeter defenders in the league and is a former First Team All-Defensive selection.
“Dailyn Swain is up to 17.9 points per game, using mostly a combination of ball-handling, athleticism and paint touch,” wrote the NBA Draft analyst.
“Scouts are now talking about a potential first-round pick.
“His shooting remains iffy, which for a third-year wing will turn some teams off. However, the ability to create for himself, finish, pass and make plays defensively should lead to plenty of suitors.”
Celtics Draft Target: Dailyn Swain
Further to Wasserman’s point, Swain has shot a mediocre 28% from three through his three seasons in college, even though he’s a 53% shooter overall. The one positive aspect is that he has gradually improved as a long-range shooter, with his attempts increasing to 2.7 per game this season after he attempted just 0.9 shots in his first two years. This year, he’s making nearly 1.0 three per game at 33%, while tallying a career-high 17.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.8 steals for the Texas Longhorns.
If he continues to improve as a three-point shooter, Swain could become a solid 3-and-D player in the NBA, a view shared by Wasserman and several other NBA scouts.
Celtics Keep Drafting Gems
For Swain or any other player looking to develop their skills, landing with the Celtics would be a dream, as the franchise consistently excels at cultivating talent. Look no further than the last two drafts, when the Celtics selected Baylor Sheierman (2024) and Hugo Gonzalez (2025) in the first round. Both players are now key members of Joe Mazzulla’s rotation, with the latter even viewed as a potential star in the making.
During Monday’s 108-81 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, Gonzalez, in just his third start of the season, dropped a career-high 18 points, 16 rebounds and three steals. The Spaniard became the first Celtic rookie since Larry Bird to post those numbers. He also showed his defensive tenacity by holding Giannis Antetokounmpo to 1-of-4 shooting when matched up with the 2021 NBA Finals MVP.
After the game, Mazzulla praised Gonzalez for being ready when his number was called and made a telling statement about his team relying on every roster member.
“We want to validate work ethic, we want to validate the process by trusting all 12, 13, 14, 15 guys that are in the game,” Mazzulla said of Gonzalez.
“And when you can validate that through playing time and execution and development, I think you just kind of have that (competitive character).”
The Celtics also hit a home run by drafting Payton Pritchard with the No. 26 overall pick in 2020, a decision that helped them win the 2024 NBA championship. Surely, they have proven their chops when it comes to assessing young talent.