The Celtics are wrapping up their regular season while college hoops shifts to March Madness. So that means plenty of NBA prospects will be showcased on the national stage in the coming weeks as mock draft season heats up.
The C’s will see their payroll continue to soar, and with new ownership coming in soon, they’ll need to find cheap production down the line. There’s no better place to start than the draft as the Celtics have some decisions to make in the coming weeks.
The Athletic currently projects the Celtics to pick National Player of the Year hopeful Johni Broome from Auburn at No. 28 overall. They also have the C’s picking at 31st, the Wizards' second-round pick, going with Alex Toohey from the Sydney Kings in Australia.
Broome has been arguably the best player in college basketball season, leading the No. 1 overall seed in Auburn. While Duke’s Cooper Flagg, the other NPOTY candidate, is projected to go first overall in the draft, the Celtics won’t have a realistic chance at landing the New England product. Both Broome and Flagg were named first-team AP All-Americans earlier Tuesday.
But there’s a lot to like about Broome, who turns 23 later this year, as he’s been a stellar player for the Tigers. Broome is averaging 18.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 31 games for Auburn this season. At 6-foot-10, he brings size and plays his position well. Plus, being older isn’t necessarily a bad thing for a contending team like the Celtics, where they hope any pick can develop into a rotational guy sooner rather than later.
Toohey, who turns 21 before the draft, has played the past couple seasons in the National Basketball League in Australia. This year, he’s averaging 10.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game for the Kings. He was originally committed to play collegiately at Gonzaga but decided to stay closer to home. At 6-foot-8, he brings good size at the wing position as he’s climbed the mock draft rankings in recent months.
The Celtics have selected one-and-done guys (Jordan Walsh in 2023) and five-year college guys (Baylor Scheierman in 2024) in the draft in recent years. Notably, Boston president Brad Stevens made his first-ever first-round pick last year in Scheierman. He’s opted to trade his first-round picks to bolster the roster in past years. As of now, the C’s still have their first-round pick as they keep an eye on the future while still hoping they can go back-to-back this season.
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