Pretty much every mock has Simmons and Ingram going first and second. After that, it is anyone's guess who goes where. There have been rumors going around about the Lakers taking Dragan Bender at #2, thus leaving Ingram to slide to the Celtics at #3. The Lakers have thrown a curve into the draft order before when they took D'Angelo Russell with the 2nd pick in the 2015 draft, leaving Jahlil Okafor to drop to the Sixers at #3. It's not a stretch to think that they might do the unexpected again.
Let's take a look at the different Mock drafts to see who they have the Celtics selecting with their 3 first round picks. Of course, we don't know whether the Celtics will make the picks for themselves or will trade the picks. It's pretty certain that the Celtics won't keep all 8 players they draft. They can combine them to trade up. They could trade them to move out of the draft for a star player. Or they could trade some and make some. It's also possible that they will pick some foreign players that they will stash in Europe for a year or two.
Here are a few of the predictions with a summary at the bottom. First up is Bleacher Report and they have the Celtics taking 3 foreign players in the first round. Dragan Bender at #3, Timothe Luwawu at #16 and Paul Zipster with the 23rd pick. They don't give any justification for the picks.
USA Today
#3 Dragan Bender - The situation the Celtics find themselves in – a contender in the East, looking to find one more impact player – will lead to a lot of speculation that they’re going to move this pick, and they very well might. At just 18 years of age Bender won’t help immediately, but his help defense could be a huge addition to Brad Stevens’ defensive schemes down the line.
#16 Denzel Valentine -
The Celtics already have good perimeter depth, but adding Valentine’s perimeter shooting and play making would be big for a team that struggled to find offense at times this year.
#23 Ante Zizic Zizc’s strengths – pick and dive offensive play, defensive mobility, altering shots around the rim – fit into exactly what Boston is lacking among their collection of big men, and the Croatian big man could be a good option for Boston, especially if they don’t go with Bender with the third pick.
Yahoo
#3 Dragan Bender
The Celtics are one or two pieces away from being a legitimate contender in the East, so look for them to shop this pick. They took a run at Jimmy Butler at the deadline, so they could package one or two of their eight total picks in this draft in exchange for an All-Star level player. As for Bender, he’s the top international prospect and is only 18 years old, yet he’s been a professional player overseas for years. The 7’1” stretch four can hit the 3-point shot and is a solid passer, and while he runs the floor really well, he’s not really an explosive athlete. He’s definitely a project, but you have to love his potential.
#16 Denzel Valentine
Like I stated earlier, the Celtics might be looking to trade several picks, but if they do keep this one, they will likely take a player like Valentine who could help out right away. The Celtics might shy away from re-signing Evan Turner if his price goes up too much, so Valentine would give them some insurance behind Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder. His improvement over his four seasons at Michigan State were impressive, and he finished his senior season with averages of 19.2 points, 7.5 boards, 7.8 assists, 1.0 steals and 3.4 treys.
#23 Zhou Qi
A 7’2” center out of China, Qi is an intriguing project due to his size, shot-blocking ability and shooting range, but he’s incredibly thin and would get pushed around in the NBA. If the Celtics take him with their third pick of the first round, they could be patient with him and stash him overseas for a while.
NBA Draft. Net
#3 Buddy Hield
#16 Denzel Valentine
#23 Patrick McCaw
CBS Sports Sam Vecenie
#3 Dragan Bender
#16 Skal Labissiere
#23 Ante Zizic
CBS Sports Gary Parrish
#3Jamal Murray
#16 Domantas Sabonis
#23 Cheick Diallo
Walter Football
#3 Dragan Bender
Expect the Celtics to actively shop this pick in hopes of landing a proven player who can help them right now. If they keep this pick, they could have a few frontcourt players hit free agency this summer and should look to add depth inside with one of their first-rounders. Bender is a versatile forward with great skill for his size and could add a different dimension to the Boston frontcourt.
#16 Furkan Korkmaz
Since the Celtics have three first-round picks - assuming they keep them all -, expect them to draft at least one foreign prospect. In the mold of many Euro wings, Korkmaz has solid handles and can score from anywhere on the floor.
#23 Cheick Diallo
Diallo struggled to find steady minutes at Kansas, but plays with terrific energy, attacking the glass and using his athleticism to his advantage on both ends. He is a project big man, but worth the gamble at this point for the Celtics who find more depth and insurance inside in case they lose any free agents.
Hoops Hype
#3 Boston: Buddy Hield
The Celtics have a tough pick on their hands but need should never factor into selections this high in the draft. Bender offers the most upside available but also comes with a great deal of risk. Buddy Hield squashed the notion that he's an undersized SG with his superb 6-foot-9 wingspan on a 6-foot-5 frame, and 8-foot-5 standing reach measurements at the NBA draft combine. Hield capped off a tremendous senior year by not only winning a number of National Player of the Year awards, but guiding the Sooners to the Final Four. He's improved considerably as a shooter and shot creator but can still improve his handle. He is a kid with a terrific attitude and a polished skill set. Buddy is a dangerous offensive player, showing the ability to score in a variety of ways as well as facilitate. His quick trigger and excellent ability to get shots off combined with a strong will to win and improve himself make him a prospect with a lot of intrigue.
#16 Denzel Valentine
Valentine won National Player of the Year over Buddy Hield and impacted games as much as anyone all year. He had an unbelievable season, despite Michigan State's shocking first round upset loss to Middle Tennessee State. The senior was extremely classy in defeat, showing true heart and leadership in taking responsibility and not pointing any fingers. He's a difficult player to project as his ability to affect the game in college with his immense ball skills may or may not translate to the next level due to his below-average size, speed and athleticism. His knee required arthroscopic surgery forcing him to miss a few weeks of action this year. While he lacks a great first step, he's become a knock-down shooter and his best attribute is his great vision and passing. He's got a tremendous basketball IQ and his maturity and attitude should allow to contribute to a winning team, no matter what level of player he becomes.
#23 Timothe Luwawu
A 3-and-D type of prospect, Luwawu has been a work in progress since he hit the scene two years ago at the Eurocamp. At the time his was a raw but intriguing wing with good length and athleticism. He flew mostly under the radar for a year and then had a very solid year after moving to Serbian team Mega Leks as he showed some real development in his three-point shooting and defense. While going as high as lottery is probably being overly optimistic, his defensive and potential should get him looks in the mid-late teens and find a spot somewhere in the mid 20s on draft night. Some still question his feel for the game and toughness, but if he can continue to develop his offensive skills, he should become a contributor at some point in the league.
NBA.com
#3 Dragan Bender
For all the talk about the possibility of the 76ers and/or Lakers making deals, the Celtics are probably the best candidate of all as a team pushing to get in position for a long playoff run now. The obvious need of adding outside shooting, especially behind the arc, puts Buddy Hield in the mix for the top three. But some teams think Bender has a chance to be great and one GM said he could easily see the Croatian becoming the best player in the draft in time. Bender is not Kristaps Porzingis no matter how many people want to make the comparison -- Bender is a better distributor, Porzingis has better range -- but the offense is very intriguing.
#16Denzel Valentine
The important part of the Final Four team in 2014-15 had a nice climb up draft boards last season with more experience and a larger role for an elite program. Valentine earned that centerpiece spot as 22-year-old senior who is smart and versatile. He shot 44.4 percent behind the arc and also easily leading the team in assists, a testament to his ability to become a secondary ball handler in the pros as well as score.
#23 Ante Zizic
A high-energy player with nice athleticism for a big, he runs the floor well and handles the contact of playing inside. His offensive game is still limited, though. Zizic is 19, making him an ideal draft-and-stash pick for the end of the first round. With his intensity and with time, he could become a contributor for an NBA team.
NBA Draft Room
#3 Dragan Bender
#16 Dejounte Murray
#23 Diamond Stone
Forbes
#3 Dragan Bender
The drop off after Simmons and Ingram is huge, but doesn’t have to be if Bender turns out the way scouts are currently salivating over him. Hardly the consensus No. 3 player (but definitely going in the Top 5), Bender has the most upside of anyone after the two elite guys. People will want him to be the next Kristaps Porzingis, but that’s not his skill set. He’s a legit seven footer who moves well for a big man and has Euro-style finesse around the basket. He will need to get stronger and learn a little toughness defensively, but he can set the Pick and Roll and stretch the paint which is rare for a big man who is so NBA-ready at only 18.
#16 Marquese Chriss
Possibly the biggest boom-or-bust prospect in the draft and the fastest riser as of late, Chriss is tall, lanky, explosive and a great overall athlete. Meanwhile, there are tons of holes to his game on both sides of the floor, and he might just never pan out. Added to Bender in this scenario, the Celtics could have their forwards of the future or swing and miss on both picks.
#23. Ante Zizic
With the Celtics third first-round pick, they grab Bender’s long-time national teammate and a potential big man of the future. Zizic is ridiculously athletic for his size and has been tested against bigs a decade older than him on a regular basis. He’s good at and around the basket and draws a lot of fouls for such an unpolished player.
ESPN
#3 Jamal Murray
Staying at No. 3 was a tough outcome for the Celtics, because the top two players seem to tower over the rest of the draft. Celtics GM Danny Ainge has been searching for a superstar and got so, so close.
I think the Celtics will seriously explore trading this pick along with other assets, parlaying them into a veteran who can help right now.
If the pick is not traded, I think it will come down to Murray, Kris Dunn andBuddy Hield. The Celtics really like Dunn, and he might eventually be better than the point guards they already have, but Murray's shooting ability and versatility might make him a more valuable player, or trade chip, for the Celtics.
#16 Ante Zizic
The Celtics are unlikely to keep all of their picks. You can expect GM Danny Ainge to shop them hard. If they do keep them, don't be surprised to see Boston gamble on a few projects it can develop over time.
Zizic's elite motor, offensive rebounding and production in Croatia make him very intriguing.
#23 Thon Maker
This is the third first-round pick for the Celtics, and on the slim chance they keep all three, this gives Ainge a chance to swing for the fences.
Maker could end up rising dramatically in the next few weeks with great workouts. He nailed his measurements, athletic testing and interviews at the combine. If he plays well in workouts, the Celtics might have to grab him at No. 16. If he struggles? He could end up in the second round.
MY NBA Draft.com
#3 Dragan Bender
#16 Furkan Korkmaz
#23 Taurean Prince
Draft Express
#3 Dragan Bender
#16 Taurean Prince
#23 Ante Zizic
SI.com
#3 Dragan Bender
If Boston's not in the top two ... Why would they keep this pick? Durant sweepstakes or not, they are close enough to start gambling and building a contender, and Danny Ainge has an itchy trigger finger even in a normal year. If they're not in a position to draft Ingram, bet on them to trade this. As for Dragan Bender, he's third as a placeholder, because his stretch-four game would be an excellent long-term fit on almost every team in the top 10. Also, less than a year after Kristaps Porzingis embarrassed 60% of the scouts in the NBA, it's hard to imagine Bender gets further than three.
#16 Skal Labissiere
What's truly unfair about the Celtics picks is that they may be able to a) trade their first-round pick, b) use their first-round pick on a lottery talent who doesn't have to contribute right away, and c) use their first-round pick to draft-and-stash a European prospect for three years down the road, because they don't have the room to add any other young players. This is how life works when you have 28 different first-round picks over three years. Now, we're going to speed things up for the final half of this mock ...
#23 Ante Zizic
He didn't have a buyout in his deal in the Adriatic League until negotiating one three weeks ago, but at just 19 years old, this could still make sense as a draft-and-stash. Is Ante Zizic good? We will probably find out in 24 months!
Washington Post
#3 Kris Dunn
(This mock only went through the lottery)
SB Nation
#3 Dragan Bender
#16 Skal Labissiere
#23 Furkan Korkmaz
Draftek
#3 Dragan Bender
#16Damian Jones
#23 Dejounte Murray
In all, I checked out 38 mock drafts. Four different players were projected for the third pick with Dragan Bender being the most popular with 22 mocks picking him for the third pick. Seven mocks picked Buddy Hield to go third and 7 mocks projected that Jamal Murray would go third. Two mocks said that the Celtics would pick Kris Dunn, in spite of the fact that he won't release his medical records to Boston.
Things get a lot murkier when we go to the 16th pick. Fourteen different players are projected to be picked at #16. Denzel Valentine was the most popular pick at this spot with 10 mocks predicting that he would go to the Celtics at #16. When we get to the 23rd pick, there are 18 different players projected to go to the Celtics with this pick. The most popular was Ante Zizic with 10 mocks predicting his pick at 23. All in all, no one has any clue where any player will be picked. It's going to be an interesting draft, to say the least.
[Discuss on CG Forums!]
Ainge has picked what 4 out of 28 picks that were foreign. Two of these played their college in the NCAA's. Doubt Ainge goes for Bender who has less vertical than Sullinger.
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