Should the Boston Celtics try to do more with less in the 2020 NBA Draft?
ESPN’s Jonathan Givoni posted last week trade offer, in which the Celtics move up the draft, trading their three picks in the first round for the Detroit Pistons first pick. Boston currently owns numbers 14, 26 and 30, with Detroit to pick seventh.
Givoni believes the young Celtics will benefit more from an influential player joining the squad than from the arrival of three rookies who will play long-range to earn significant playing time.
“Boston has 14 player contracts for next season, plus two bilateral players, Takko Fall and Tremont Waters, who will be looking to make the permanent squad,” Givoni wrote. “By the end of the first round, the two draft-and-stash options, Alexei Pokusevsky and Leandro Bolmaro, are predicted to disappear.
“This should prompt the Celtics to consider combining their three picks to make it into the top 10 and find a player who can succeed in their rotation next season. Tyrese Haliburton of Iowa and Onyeka Okongwu of the University of Southern California are likely to appeal to Boston as skillful and versatile perspectives. Obi Toppin, Deni Avdiya and Isaac Okoro would also fit well into the team’s culture and line-up.
Givoni believes Detroit will brighten its future by amassing young talent with the hope that everyone will become a star.
“For Detroit, where only two players (Blake Griffin and Sekou Dumbuya) signed last season, this is an opportunity to add young talent to the roster,” concluded Givoni. “The story is that the project is full of uncertainty and that teams are better off doing as many turns as possible in the first round. Surprises happen every year: the top 20 leads drop by the end of the first round, and having multiple picks will allow the Pistons to adopt a risk-seeking strategy aimed at high-potential players. “
At the moment, the main goal of the Celtics is to extend their stay in the NBA playoffs as long as possible. In the second round series, they lead the Toronto Raptors 1-0.
However, the NBA draft will take place on October 16, and the team officials are undoubtedly working hard to chart a course for the big day.
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