While the Celtics and the rest of Boston are busy enjoying the afterglow of Banner No. 18, the front office doesn’t have that much time to reflect. The NBA calendar moves quick even after the conclusion of the season, meaning Brad Stevens and his crew are looking toward Banner No. 19 and beyond.
That starts this week with the 2024 NBA Draft, which is a two-day event for the first time. The draft is set from June 26-27 from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center with the first round taking place at 8 p.m. Wednesday then the second round starting 4 p.m. Thursday.
There hasn’t been much excitement for the 2024 draft compared to past years. The top isn’t viewed as favorably as it’s considered a down cycle when it comes to prospects. But that could be a selling point for the Celtics where they can pick up some depth pieces they covet in the draft.
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Here are three things to know about the Celtics’ upcoming draft:
1. The Celtics’ draft pick situation, along with a look back
The Celtics currently own one pick in the first and second round each. They have the No. 30 pick and the No. 55 overall pick. So both selections come in the final few stages of each round. That’s not surprising considering the C’s were by far the best team in the league with their 64-18 record.
The C’s have mainly added young-but-intriguing pieces through the draft over the past three seasons. None of those players have made a noticeable impact on the roster yet. Juhann Begarin was picked 45th overall in 2021, JD Davison was selected 53rd overall in 2022 and Jordan Walsh went 38th overall in 2023.
2. Why the first-round pick has a little extra juice
Stevens has yet to make a first-round pick as part of his time as Boston’s president of basketball operations. He’s instead used those draft selections to bolster the roster in win-now moves, which feels natural considering the C’s are all-in on the present. Those first-round picks have been used to bring in guys like Derrick White and Al Horford as part of the current roster. He also dealt a pick in the Malcolm Brogdon deal, which also resulted in Jrue Holiday down the line.
So the 30th overall pick this year doesn’t mean much on its own, but it is at least an interesting wrinkle when it comes to the Celtics’ roster building. Stevens and Co. have been unafraid to keep adding to the roster, which is why they have so much talent to begin with. There’s also the chance Stevens once again moves out of the first round as he’s put together multiple draft-day trades in the past. So that’s something to keep an eye on come Wednesday.
3. Why building from the draft is extra important going forward
While the C’s haven’t made a marquee draft pick in recent seasons, it’s important to remember they’ve built this roster up using the draft. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are the best players on the team —they were each selected No. 3 overall in back-to-back drafts in 2016 and 2017, respectively (hat tip to Danny Ainge there for getting the draft capital).
Going forward, the Celtics are going to be a high-spending team in the eyes of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Without getting too complicated, they’ll be penalized by being a second-apron team going forward as part of the salary cap. That means how they can add to their roster becomes limited, whether that’s through free-agency spending or trades.
So that means the draft is important to pick up some of those development pieces. This season was a great example where the C’s got cheap production from Payton Pritchard (No. 26 pick in 2020) and Sam Hauser (undrafted in 2021). By having a couple rotation players who gave quality backup minutes throughout the season, the Celtics didn’t suffer too much in the depth department.
That’s why the front office will have an eye on the future when it comes to the draft. They did just that when they selected Walsh last summer, who spent most of the season in the G League. But the wing has shown off his potential already, and at just 20, he’s the type of player the C’s hope pans out and can be a cheap rotation player down the line. So expect the Celtics to have a similar mindset for the draft Wednesday going forward.
