NBA Draft: Four Prospects Celtics Could Eye With First-Round Pick

The Boston Celtics have dusted off their Banner 18 confetti and are ready to aim for a repeat finish next season. The first order of offseason business is simple: Wednesday night’s 2024 NBA Draft.

Two factors make Boston’s draft approach interesting: the team’s league-leading 64-win finish (and 16-3 postseason record) plus the relatively underwhelming class of prospects on the table. It’s not like there’s a dire need for the Celtics to repair a glaring void. With pending contract extensions for Jayson Tatum and Derrick White on the table, there won’t be much to do, but the front office is still preparing.

“If the right person is available at 30, then we will take him,” Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens told reporters Tuesday, per NBC Sports Boston. “If we have a couple of people that we think are still the right person then we’ll see what our options are and what kind of flexibility we have. But I anticipate picking a couple of picks and whether they’re on roster or two-way and investing in young players. If they come in and crack our rotation then they’re really good and that’ll be a good thing too.”

Opportunities, while dispersed, did present themselves for little-known reserves such as Neemias Queta, Svi Mykhailiuk, and last season’s second-round selection Jordan Walsh this past season.

Here are four prospects the Celtics could consider welcoming in with open arms when the NBA champs are on the clock come Wednesday night:

1. Baylor Scheierman (Shooting guard, Creighton)
Scheierman, 23, could be the answer for a potential upcoming dilemma the Celtics will have to address: reserve unit 3-point shooting.

It’s hard to imagine right now, but Boston could soon say goodbye to veteran sharpshooter Sam Hauser. The homegrown, undrafted 26-year-old is under contract with a club option for the 2024-25 season, but Hauser is set to hit the market as an unrestricted free agent next summer and due for a payday.

Rather than getting cornered in the search for a solution, Scheierman, a 6-foot-6 lefty shooting specialist, could spend next season on the bench under Hauser’s tutelage. Scheierman averaged 18.5 points while shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc last season at Creighton, proving to be a serviceable role player who, like Hauser, has limited defensive capabilities.

Under any offense run by head coach Joe Mazzulla, there can never be enough 3-point shooting at Boston’s disposal, right?

2. Oso Ighodaro (Center, Marquette)
For teams drafting within the top 10, and in today’s NBA, it’s not the brightest idea to target a center or defensive-first prospect so early. Fortunately for the Celtics, they don’t have a lottery selection, therefore, defensive specialists such as Ighodaro could fall before the second round begins.

Ighodaro, 21, is extremely active on both ends of the floor. Despite being undersized at 6-foot-9 and without a reliable jump shot, Ighodaro remains engaged offensively by rolling to the basket and creating openings for lobs and easy feeds under the rim. He was an aggressive interior presence at Marquette, averaging 13.4 points with 6.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while backing down defenders and setting screens to create scoring opportunities.

The Celtics understand Al Horford is at the tail-end of his elite playing career, approaching an age-38 season come October. Backup big man Xavier Tillman Sr., who Boston acquired at the trade deadline, is an unrestricted free agent this offseason while Queta has a club option for next season left before joining next year’s free agency list.

It wouldn’t hurt to add some size, and in Ighodaro’s case, a front-court prospect with an ability to facilitate, too.

3. Jonathan Mogbo (Forward, San Francisco)
Mogbo is the most intriguing player on the list for several reasons, most notably being the 22-year-old’s ability to dribble the ball — eliminating worries of needing assistance during defensive traps from opponents.

Offensively, Mogbo can go 1-on-1 in the post, using guard-like moves at times to finish at the rim. He’s a non-traditional forward in terms of Mogbo’s offensive versatility which begins with utilizing ball screens and helping turn defense into offense as an elite rebounder. Mogbo, who received zero Division 1 offers out of high school, averaged 14.2 points and 14.1 rebounds with 1.1 blocks and 2.2 steals at San Francisco last season.

Having size, defensive energy plus the upside of offensive potential can complement any motion offenses such as Boston’s.

4. Adem Bona (Center, UCLA)
Aside from rocking a headband with a short-sleeved tee beneath the jersey, Bona does resemble the two-way build of Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis — and for a number of reasons that could benefit the Celtics.

Bona, 21, is an offensive aggressor, utilizing his 6-foot-8, 243-pound frame to await lob and clean-up opportunities at the rim. Even more so, Bona is a menace defensively, averaging 1.8 blocks and 1.1 steals this past season at UCLA to supplement his 12.4 points and 5.9 rebounds.

During the regular season and postseason, the Minnesota Timberwolves benefited massively from having Naz Reid’s aggressive, defensive-hungry archetype work on both ends of the floor. Bona has the potential to work around his limited offensive skillset — he’s a career 65.2% college free-throw shooter — and become a hard-nosed NBA workhorse.