Next month's NBA Draft will give the Boston Celtics two chances to add young talent to their roster. With the team's future looking cloudy with Jayson Tatum's Achilles tear and second-round penalties looming, it's important that Brad Stevens and the rest of the front office make the most of picks 28 and 32.
The importance of landing players who can support Boston's stars while on cheap contracts cannot be understated. Teams who overspend are harshly punished, after the latest update to the league's collective bargaining agreement in 2023.
Drafting well is the cheat code to building a sustainably good roster, nowadays.
A player to watch for the Celtics, according to ESPN's latest mock draft, is Noah Penda, a French wing who currently laces 'em for Le Mans Sarth Basket. Penda has appeared in 34 total games for Le Mans this season, playing about 27 minutes in each appearance. The six-foot-eight forward averages 10.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.9 blocks per outing, on 45.2% from the field and 34.3% from beyond the arc.
Does Noah Penda make sense for the Celtics?
Yes and no.
With how Boston's roster could change over the summer, a wing likely isn't the most helpful draft pick for them. There's been serious speculation that both Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday could be dealt in cost-cutting trades this offseason, making the center and guard spots a bit thinner. If you factor in the uncertain futures of unrestricted free agents Al Horford and Luke Kornet, that center spot feels even more important.
Sure, there are a lot of moving parts at the moment, but I'm not sure that there will be a ton of available minutes for a wing like Penda, with guys like Sam Hauser and Baylor Scheierman in front of him in the rotation. Plus, Jordan Walsh is still on the team. This could be a great season for the Celtics to get a better look at him with Tatum presumably sidelined for the entirety of it.
Now, this doesn't mean that Penda can't work out for them in the hypothetical world where they draft him. The 20-year-old forward is an active defender, to say the least. He's always looking to get deflections and disrupt the opposing team's offense. At his size, he's shown an ability to stay in front of smaller players on the perimeter while also being strong enough to defend the paint.
Even in situations where Penda is beaten off the dribble, he does a solid job of recovering and getting back into the play. His motor is very real.
"Penda's strong feel for the game and two-way impact, after a productive and well-rounded season in France, would make him an interesting sleeper target in this part of the draft," wrote ESPN's Jeremy Woo. "He offers excellent role-player traits as a smart decision-maker and defensive playmaker if he can make enough shots to earn NBA minutes. It remains to be seen what his availability will be for stateside workouts, with the Pro A season still ongoing."
As Woo explained in the mock draft blurb, Penda is the type of player who could grow into a strong supporting cast member in the NBA. Just about anyone who has the defensive instincts that he does can stick. He could very well wind up being a nice sleeper pick at either pick 28 or 32.
The consensus question mark about Penda is his jump shooting. Even though he is shooting a career-high for Le Mans this season, 34% isn't great. Especially when you consider he isn't firing up a high volume of threes at just three-ish attempts per game.
In addition, Penda's jumper is a bit slow, which enables defenders to sag off of him since they'll have more time to close out. Not great for spacing.
With that being said, I'm a firm believer that there's always potential for growth with shooting. There are so many big men who had to evolve with the three-point revolution of the 2010s in order to keep up with the times. Players like Brook Lopez and Al Horford are prime examples of this. If Penda puts in the work, who's to say he can't become average, or above average, as a shooter?
If I had to compare him to someone, the first player who comes to mind is Grant Williams. During his time in Boston, we all saw Williams develop as an offensive player while giving the Cs a (mostly) great defensive effort. It's not the most pressing need, but if the Celtics added another Grant Williams type, I don't think I'd be complaining.
For a more in-depth look at potential Celtics prospects, check out the "How 'Bout Them Celtics" draft preview, where Jack Simone and I run through plenty of names with No Ceilings' Tyler Rucker.