The passing of time won’t stop rumors from constantly linking new players to the Boston Celtics.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony predicted Friday in his latest NBA mock draft column the Celtics will select four players in 2020. The projected future C’s come from the college basketball and European professional circuits, and they would compete for spots on Boston’s already-young roster next season and beyond.
The Celtics will own the Memphis Grizzlies’ first-round pick if it falls outside the top six spots in the NBA draft lottery. Givony believes that will happen and that Boston then will select Arizona Wildcats point guard Nico Mannion with the ninth overall pick. Mannion is averaging 14.8 points, 2 rebounds and 6.1 assists through 15 games in his freshman season.
Givony predicts the Celtics will use their own first-round pick (projected at No. 26 overall) on Aleksej Pokusevski, a 6-foot-11 power forward who hails from Serbia but plays for the “B” team of Greek powerhouse Olympiacos.
The Celtics also own the Milwaukee Bucks’ first-round pick (projected at No. 30 overall), and Givony predicts they’ll draft Florida State’s Devin Vassell in that spot. The 6-foot-5 swingman is averaging 12.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in his sophomore season.
The Celtics will have the Brooklyn Nets’ pick in the second round, and Givony predicts they’ll use that on LSU’s Skylar Mays. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard is averaging 16.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists on 51 percent shooting in his senior season.
As always, it bears repeating NBA mock drafts are entirely speculative — at least until the NBA locks teams’ positions in the order after the regular season and players start interviewing/working out with their prospective employers.
Nevertheless, it’s not too early for Celtics fans to start imagining how certain players might fit into the team’s plans next season and beyond. After all, the start of the calendar year is a perfect time for dreaming of what is to come.
