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By Anne Erickson
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The Boston Celtics continue to be a really strong team in the NBA. But, they fell short, way short, in the postseason earlier this year.
The Celtics were kicked out of the NBA playoffs in the first round to the Philadelphia 76ers. It was a shocker, and a lot of it had to do with inconsistent playing. They were hot and then not. And, the Celtics struggled with 3-point attempts, which is always a big negative in the NBA.
But, the Celtics knocked it out of the park, or the court, with the NBA draft. Ben Golliver of ESPN gives them an A- grade for their draft choices.
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Boston selected Chris Cenac Jr. at No. 27 and Dillon Mitchell at No. 40 in the draft. Why were these moves good? They directly help fix the problems the Celtics faced in the playoffs.
"Cenac looks like a tweener -- at 6-foot-11, 240 pounds, he might be stuck between power forward and center -- but he still fills a glaring positional need for the Celtics, whose thin and inexperienced frontcourt was exposed by the 76ers in the playoffs," Golliver states. However, he adds, "In all likelihood, Cenac will need to work through multiple stages of development to live up to his high school billing."
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Considering the Celtics couldn't pick until No. 27, they didn't have the top-tier players left. But, Cenac is really underrated as a draft pick. He could have gone higher.
Boston saw the potential in Cenac. He also helps with their 3-pointer issue. During his one year at the University of Houston, Cenac shot 33.3% from 3-point range. That's more than respectable for a freshman player in a competitive landscape like Houston.
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Give him time, and Cenac could become a 3-point monster, too. For now, he'll be a solid addition to their depth and help take pressure off when the main players need a rest.
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