The Boston Celtics don’t usually have their full attention on the upcoming NBA draft at this point in May.
But they do this year after getting bounced from the postseason in the second round by the New York Knicks.
The Celtics enter next month’s draft in a tricky situation as it feels like an almost certainty that there will be some key changes to the roster with Boston looking to shed payroll to lessen its luxury tax penalties. That means a few prominent rotation players could be headed elsewhere in the offseason, and the Celtics could look to fill those holes on the roster through the draft.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo released their full NBA mock draft Monday and had the Celtics not moving up to select Cooper Flagg, but instead picking Frenchman Noah Penda with the 28th overall pick.
“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,” Woo wrote. “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.”
Story continues below advertisement
Penda, who stands at 6-foot-6, is averaging 10.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game with Le Mans Sarthe. The 20-year-old is shooting 44% from the floor, but needs work on his outside shooting, making just 30.4% of his 3-point attempts.
The Celtics also own the No. 32 pick in the draft from the Washington Wizards. Woo and Givony had the Celtics taking German guard Ben Saraf with that selection. Saraf, who just turned 19 last month, is averaging 12.8 points and 4.6 assists in 16 games with Ratiopharm Ulm.
Taking two foreign players doesn’t feel like a stretch for the Celtics. They could adopt a draft-and-stash approach with both Penda and Saraf like they did in 2020 with Yam Madar and 2021 with Juhann Begarin — both Madar and Begarin were second-round picks, though.
The NBA draft will take place over two days starting June 25.
Story continues below advertisement
