The Boston Celtics own three picks in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft — Nos. 14, 20 and 22 — and it sounds like they might be willing to roll the dice with at least one of the selections.
Jonathan Wasserman, lead scout and NBA draft writer for Bleacher Report, reported Thursday that multiple teams believe Bol Bol won’t slide past the Celtics at either No. 20 or No. 22 despite rumors the Oregon product is slipping on draft boards.
This would be a very intriguing selection by the Celtics, who reportedly have been exploring trades involving their three first-round picks. Bol is listed at 7-foot-3 with a monstrous wing span but handles the ball well for his size and can shoot off the dribble. He’s arguably a top-five talent when healthy, which unfortunately wasn’t often for the 19-year-old this past season, as he played in just nine games for Oregon due to a foot injury that required surgery.
In fact, Bol, son of former NBA player Manute Bol, might be the most polarizing prospect in this year’s draft, which makes predicting where he’ll land a fool’s errand. He seemingly could go anywhere from No. 10 to somewhere in the 20s.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony projected in his latest mock draft Thursday that the Celtics will select Bol with the No. 20 pick. Here’s what Givony wrote:
General manager Danny Ainge has never been afraid to take a gamble on a risky prospect that other NBA teams decided to pass on due to injuries, character concerns or other reasons. Bol’s broken foot, skinny frame and the questions about his approach to the game have caused his stock to slip, but there is little doubt that his talent looked worthy of a top-10 pick before he got injured in December.
If he pans out, he could bring much-needed 3-point shooting and rim protection to the roster.
The offseason is off to a shaky start for the Celtics, who might lose both Kyrie Irving and Al Horford to free agency. Irving’s future has been uncertain for months, but Horford’s decision to potentially sign elsewhere after reportedly opting out of his contract with Boston comes as somewhat of a surprise.
The Celtics also reportedly are shopping center Aron Baynes in an effort to clear salary cap space, so perhaps gambling on Bol’s upside while building a new front court isn’t the worst idea.
