How excited are you about our young guys?

[CELTICSofBOSTON]

Superstar:
1. Markelle Fultz

Star:
2. Jaylen Brown

Starter:
3. Terry Rozier
4. Ante Zizic

Role player:
5. Demetrius Jackson
6. Marcus Smart
7. Abdel Nader

Bench or worse:
8. Jordan Mickey
9. Guerschon Yabusele

Side note: if we could pick up Anunoby as a 2nd round pick that would be amazing (not happening)

I think you're right about OG. I didn't think Anunoby would be available that late either but NBADraft.net has them going 37th in this draft. I doubt it personally but we have enough to move up if need be.

[CELTICSofBOSTON]

1. Fultz. He has a special combination of body control/shiftiness and natural basketball instincts to go along with great size for a PG. I'm concerned that he will take time to develop NBA 3pt range, but it's easy to see him as an MVP candidate one day.
2. Smart. His defensive goodness more than offsets his offensive badness. Given his progress in every area except shooting, and given his improved FT% over a large sample, it still seems likely that he will develop into a competent offensive player. If that happens, he'll be a star.
3. Zizic. It's hard to see Zizic ever being a star, as he's a non-rim-protecting center who doesn't shoot 3's. But I'm excited for him to come in and contribute 4 years of solid production on a rookie scale deal.
4. Brown. Jaylen has a lot of fans on this forum, but I remain concerned about his development. He wasn't  good this year, even for a rookie, and he wasn't good in college, either. I'm rooting for him and he still has upside, but Jaylen seems more likely to become Jeff Green than to become Jimmy Butler.
5. Yabusele. Guershon hasn't been lighting China on fire, and there's a reason he was projected as a mid-second rounder before Ainge took him at 16. But he has a pretty unique physical profile, so maybe he has unexpected upside.
6. Nader. This is where the dregs begin. Nader will have an illustrious career for the Red Claws.
7. Rozier. He just seems bad on both ends. His TS% is worse than Smart's (44% vs 48%), and on defense he makes mistakes all the time.

Wow very bold statement about Markelle one day being an MVP candidate. I love bold statements and I hope you are right  . TP.

Edit: I now realize that my response kinda sounds sarcastic. That is not my intention at all.

[Rosco917]

Sometimes I think Yabu was chosen because he was stashable without too much of a problem. We simply had no room on the roster with Brown being so highly regarded. And yes...IMO Brown will be a borderline all-star in a few years.

Fultz is the player I'm excited about. This draft in general is considered a very deep, strong draft, and it's considered to be a talented point guard draft to boot. Very seldom has Markelle not been considered the number one pick.

That is quite impressive.

 

[Granath]

I won't rank guys who I haven't seen play one minute in the NBA. But yeah, there's reason to be excited.

I predicted Brown to be a stud on draft night and we (at least most of us) saw why. Any comparisons with a guy like Jeff Green are lazy and inaccurate. Brown shot better in his rookie season than Green has in his entire career. In fact, Browns' splits of 50%/34% has never been reached by Green in any season in his career. He's simply a better player all the way around, has a better head on his shoulders, is more driven and in a better situation. I'm really eager to see him break out this coming season and I have few doubts it will happen.

Smart's been a key player for a top 4 team. His shooting woes are becoming a thing of legend but he's also a key defensive cog and he makes winning plays. I hope Brad locks him in a half court gym and makes him shoot 1000 15 foot jumpers. With a 80% FT rate you'd think some of these shots would go in at some point. If they do, he's a stud. If not, he's a role player. Usually guys who have 3 years under their belt are who they are in the NBA. But there are guys who buck that trend all the time and maybe Smart is that guy.

Terry Rozier showed he can play in the NBA. The much-derided pick could actually be something special if the game ever slows down for him. He's still trying to force things and over-dribbles. I'm not as high on TR as some here but the potential is still intriguing.
-----

Then there are the guys we haven't seen on the court yet.

I've been high on Zizic since draft night and he's only improved his stock. I don't expect him to be an All-Star. I do expect him to be a guy who plays in the NBA for 10-15 years who starts most games and is well-regarded among those in the know. The one thing that I think he'll bring is a bit of nasty to our front court - Ty Zeller with attitude would suit me fine.

Yabu is going to be behind from his injury and that worries me. A 6-8 man who can shoot from outside and is a load coming down the lane isn't anything to scoff at.

Nader really impressed for the Red Claws. I can't imagine him doing much in the NBA. Guys that are almost 24 years old who played in the D League don't much matter. But guys with his size, incredible wingspan, who can shoot 35% from 3....these guys don't necessarily grow on trees. Is he Crowder, Part II? If he can play defense then their skill sets may overlap and then Crowder becomes even more expendable. It'll be interesting to see once he hits camp this year.
---

Finally there are the guys who aren't on the team yet.

A true stud. Future All-Pro. A cornerstone player. That's Fultz. There's not a box that he doesn't tick. They're always a chance that a guy busts due to injury, attitude or some other unforeseen circumstance but it's hard to bet against a true Blue Chip prospect like Fultz.

Another potential Blue Chipper. A top 5 pick in what looks like a big man draft? Count me in with another top 5 pick in 2018 courtesy of Brooklyn.

[Ilikesports17]

Superstar:
1. Markelle Fultz

Star:
2. Jaylen Brown

Starter:
3. Terry Rozier
4. Ante Zizic

Role player:
5. Demetrius Jackson
6. Marcus Smart
7. Abdel Nader

Bench or worse:
8. Jordan Mickey
9. Guerschon Yabusele

Side note: if we could pick up Anunoby as a 2nd round pick that would be amazing (not happening)

Sandwiching Marcus Smart between Demetrius Jackson and Abdel Nader is massively underrating Marcus, massively overrating Nader and Jackson or both.

[BitterJim]

Sometimes I think Yabu was chosen because he was stashable without too much of a problem. We simply had no room on the roster with Brown being so highly regarded. And yes...IMO Brown will be a borderline all-star in a few years.

Fultz is the player I'm excited about. This draft in general is considered a very deep, strong draft, and it's considered to be a talented point guard draft to boot. Very seldom has Markelle not been considered the number one pick.

That is quite impressive.

I thought the same thing until we took Zizic 7 picks later. Ainge clearly had Yabu ranked ahead of Zizic (or thought others did), or he would have taken Zizic at #16.

If Danny really felt he needed a stash at that pick and Yabu was considered a second round talent, he would have just taken Zizic at #16. Yes, mocks had Yabu in the second round last year, but they were so far off from the actual draft order that they aren't a very good reference

[incoherent]

I believe I am currently most excited about Brown.

Something about him makes me think he will be better then Fultz.

I love his mentality and work ethic.  I love that since day one on draft night Brown said he wanted to be an all-time great. 

Does anyone here follow his instagram? He's been working very hard since ECF.

[mctyson]

very

[LilRip]

3 young guys who matter to this team:
1. Fultz
2. Jaylen
3. Smart

I hope jaylen develops the way a lot of us are envisioning him to be. And I hope Marcus finds consistency with that new shot form he was figuring out last year. Fultz seems like the surest of the 3, as odd as that seems.

[dreamgreen]

Love the potential of our young guys assuming we add Fultz. Don't know much about him but I'll be happy to make predictions after summer league lol.

Brown had a typical rookie season, ups and downs. The ups looked amazing so lets hope it goes more that way next year which I believe it will. With his body and some of his fall away jump shots (which need work) he reminds me of Reggie Lewis, much better athlete though.

Smart is losing luster to me. His offense is so limited in a league that needs scoring from everyone he just doesn't cut it. Next year will be his 4th  .

Rozier will have to make a jump to become a rotational guy, he looks nervous bringing the ball up the court still. Not a good sign from a 6"1' guy.

Zizic I'm excited to see because we need someone that brings the game people are talking he has.

Yabu is off my radar but I hope he's good!

[Quetzalcoatl]

I honestly believe that Zizic will be starting by midseason and Fultz will be in the discussion for 6th man of the year

[footey]

Sometimes I think Yabu was chosen because he was stashable without too much of a problem. We simply had no room on the roster with Brown being so highly regarded. And yes...IMO Brown will be a borderline all-star in a few years.

Fultz is the player I'm excited about. This draft in general is considered a very deep, strong draft, and it's considered to be a talented point guard draft to boot. Very seldom has Markelle not been considered the number one pick.

That is quite impressive.

At 16 when there plenty of other foreign guys including Zizic? Actually I think the Celtics see something potentially very intriguing by this guy. Being able to keep him abroad may have been a factor, but not the reason.

I'm surprised at the low level of expectations most have for Yabesele. I think he has an NBA body and great shooting touch. I think he is going to surprise a lot of folks.

[Atzar]

1.  Fultz - assuming we pick him, of course.  Complete offensive skillset, with the length and athleticism to eventually be a good defender as well.  Scoring guard in a scoring guard's league.  Future star.

2.  Brown - still raw, but I like his tools.  Athletic and aggressive.  Jumpshot is coming along, and he seemed to improve as a finisher late in the year.  High ceiling.

3.  Smart - very good defender, though I do think Celtics fans overrate him.  Very difficult to evaluate as an asset, but his ability to impact the game is undeniable.  Ultimately I think he needs to improve his offense a lot to stay with this team past his current contract.

4.  Zizic - physical interior presence that we need.  No star potential, but I think his skillset is something we need.

5.  Rozier - considered moving him up due to his playoff performance.  With our upcoming salary crunch, I think he could be very effective as a cost-controlled backup guard.  A solid asset.

6.  Yabu - a wild card.  Intriguing physical profile and skillset.  Not sure how his game will translate to a much higher level of play. 

Young, Mickey, Jackson, Nader - any contribution from these guys would be a surprise at this point. 

[Beat LA]

This year it was a pleasure to watch Jaylen Brown play.  His glimpses and flashes of potential got me really excited about the future.

This current Celtics team is fun to watch, but without any major moves, we probably aren't going to contend any time soon. But that's okay, I love watching our young guys play.  Even watching Terry Rozier play a huge part in our playoff run was very exciting.

I took a quick look at our list of young players and realized how much fun I will have watching our young guys develop.  All while we probably get close to 55-60 wins!  Definitely not a bad place to be.

So how would you rank our young guys as far as their potential? 

Here is my list:

1. Markelle Fultz- obviously he is not on our team yet but it's pretty much a sure thing that he ends up on the Celtics.  Can't wait to watch him next year! He is a perfect guard prospect without any red flags or noticeable flaws.  He can handle, shoot from anywhere especially off the dribble, and is also a great passer. His level of creativity offensively is off the charts and I think it is what makes him a top 3 guard prospect of the decade so far ! He is also a good athlete and seems like someone who is easy to root for given his story and character. I think he has superstar potential and as Adam Vecine said on a recent podcast: his worst case scenario is that he is only a top 20 offensive player in the world!

I'm not sure that there's ever been a prospect without any red flags or noticeable flaws, and Fultz is no different in that regard, imo.

[Beat LA]

Yabu I don't know much about but he's got a big body DONK on him and looks like he has a unique skill set. I don't expect much from him but sometimes those stashes pay dividends down the road.

#BackItUpLikeATonkaTruck