The Boston Celtics don’t have the current draft capital to make a major move during the 2021 NBA Draft, but they can hope to land a second-round talent.
The Celtics, as you may recall, traded their first-round pick to the Thunder in a deal that landed Kemba Walker in Oklahoma City and brought veteran Al Horford and Moses Brown to Boston. It also means Boston’s lone pick (for now, at least) in the 2021 NBA Draft comes at No. 45 overall.
Coincidentally, the C’s have had the 45th overall selection twice over the last five drafts and they settled for Demetrius Jackson in 2016 and Marcus Thornton in 2015. The two combined to play five games for the Celtics. It’s why fans shouldn’t get their hopes up for this year’s pick.
Still, there are a few names being rumored in connection to the Celtics. Here is a roundup of possible second-round picks from a handful of 2021 NBA mock drafts and a little information on each.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony: Kessler Edwards — Pepperdine, F
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman: Edwards
Edwards, measuring 6-foot-8 and 200 pounds, is a two-time West Coast Conference honoree. He recorded 17.2 points and 6.8 rebounds during his most recent junior season at Pepperdine.
The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie: Austin Reaves — Oklahoma, G
Reaves, who transferred to Oklahoma ahead of his junior season, is a 6-foot-5, 206-pound guard. He averaged 18.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists during 25 games this season with the Sooners en route to an All-Big 12 selection.
USA Today’s Bryan Kalbrosky: Joe Wieskamp — Iowa, SF
Wieskamp, a 6-foot-6 and 212-pound guard, is a two-time All-Big 10 honoree. He averaged 14.8 points and 6.6 rebounds during his most recent junior season in Iowa.
NBC Sports’ Raphielle Johnson: Jason Preston — Ohio, PG
Person is a 6-foot-4, 187-pound guard. He was a two-time All-MAC selection and averaged 15.7 points and 7.3 rebounds as a junior at Ohio University.
The 2021 NBA Draft is set to take place July 29 with Detroit Pistons possessing the No. 1 overall pick.
