The Celtics still own their 2025 first-round pick, and it’s an important selection.
The Boston Celtics have seven more games left in the regular season before they begin the defense of their championship in the 2025 NBA playoffs.
Even though there’s still a lot left to accomplish for the Celtics, it’s never too early to look toward the offseason. The Celtics still own their 2025 first-round pick, which will come at or near the end of the first round if they make a deep playoff run.
This is an important draft pick for the Celtics. They are a high-spending team in the second apron, which makes it difficult to make meaningful roster additions. The best way to add young, talented, low-cost players is through the draft.
The Celtics have done a good job finding value in the late first round over the years:
- 2024, pick No. 30: Baylor Scheierman
- 2020, pick No. 26: Payton Pritchard
- 2019, pick No. 22: Grant Williams
- 2018, pick No. 27: Robert Williams III
The Celtics need to find a good, reliable, two-way player with this first-round pick — someone who can play right away and give the team a spark off the bench.
Which players could the Celtics target at the end of the first round? Here’s a roundup of expert predictions from recent 2025 NBA mock drafts.
“Thiero has sat out five games and counting because of a knee injury and might be done for the season, with his status still unclear at the SEC tournament. He remains one of the draft’s biggest gambles on pure physical ability. A productive season still didn’t quite address the concerns about his limited feel and shooting. He’s one of this draft’s best athletes, allowing him to make plays defensively and finish around the rim at a high level, and to some extent covering for other holes in his game.
“There’s interesting role-player upside here if Thiero lands with a team that can maximize his strengths, helped by the fact he plays with a strong motor. That upside continues to make him a valid bet at the end of the first round, presuming his health checks out.”
“Lendeborg helped himself as much as anyone in the conference tournament cycle, putting up multiple dominant performances in the AAC. His game against East Carolina in the quarterfinals, when he had 30 points, 23 rebounds, eight assists, five steals and four blocks with zero turnovers, was about as good as I’ve seen anyone play in a game this season.
“Lendeborg has a very well-rounded game that has potential to translate well to the league. He averages nearly two blocks and two steals per game, and while those numbers won’t be that high in the NBA, they do show that he’s very active with his hands on defense (even if his foot speed gives some scouts pause on the perimeter).
“He rebounds the ball incredibly well, averaging 11 per game. He has terrific touch and hits 34 percent of his two 3-point attempts per game, and has real ball skill as a driver. His passing vision is also terrific, as he averages 4.2 assists per game.”
Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Kyle Terada-Imagn Images JT Toppin is a versatile, well-rounded player who helped lead Texas Tech to the Elite Eight.
“Scouts admire JT Toppin’s ability to consistently produce and work hard to earn paint buckets. He scored 20-plus points in each of Texas Tech’s three NCAA tournament games, using his signature one-two punch of physicality and one-handed touch.
“Florida’s bigs did make life tough for Toppin inside, and it did raise some questions about the translatability of his style of scoring at 6’9″. Some of the push shots he typically hits just didn’t fall, however, and a pair of pick-and-pop threes highlighted some capable shooting range.”
“Al Horford may not be able to play forever, so eventually the Celtics are going to need some depth up front. Broome has been one of college basketball’s best players all season long and has enough versatility where he could transition into a serviceable role player at the next level.”
Tankathon: Labaron Philon, PG, Alabama
