Celtics 2025 NBA Draft scouting primer

Over the next few weeks, I will begin sharing some of my thoughts on potential NBA Draft targets the Boston Celtics could consider at pick No. 27.

But as I do, I wanted to get some general thoughts from you, the BSJ readers, on the types of players you believe the Celtics should select.

First and foremost, here are my general thoughts:

It’s hard to draft.

It’s hard to draft in the top five, it’s harder to draft in the lottery, and once that top-14 wraps up, chaos ensues. Outside of the Victor Wembanyamas and Cooper Flaggs of the world, almost no player is guaranteed to be a hit.

For the Celtics, a team that has not picked in the lottery since 2020 and whose own selection hasn’t been in the lottery since 2014, it’s even harder.

Brad Stevens – and Danny Ainge before him – has had to make the most of late-first-round picks. That’s the price to pay for being a competitive basketball team year in and year out.

Obviously, there are exceptions. Nikola Jokic was a second-round pick. Manu Ginobili was, too. But those types of guys are few and far between. For each of them, there is a Mathias Lessort or a Rokas Jokubaitis who never made it to the NBA (both were second-round picks).

That said, there are still gems to be found. Rotation-level guys who can be scooped up and developed in the late-first and early-second round.

Over the last few years, the Celtics have drafted Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman, and Hugo Gonzalez, all of whom project as potential rotation pieces. That in and of itself is a win.

Ayo Dosunmu was a No. 38 pick. Andrew Nembhard was a No. 31 pick. Toumani Camara was a No. 52 pick who was traded before he ever played a game for the team that drafted him. It’s very possible to find value late in the draft. It’s just difficult.

That said, if there were ever a time for the Celtics to be focused on nailing their draft selection, it would be now. Landing another potential rotation piece at No. 27 could help Boston in a multitude of ways.

It could free them up to package other guys in a trade. It could make them feel more comfortable prioritizing different positions in free agency. It could strengthen a team that needs greater overall depth, especially once the postseason comes around.

But what positions should the Celtics be targeting? What types of players are the most important to go after right now?

Big-man depth is the obvious place to start.

Boston’s first-round exit occurred for a bunch of reasons, but their lack of center depth was certainly one of them. Neemias Queta struggled with foul trouble, as did Luka Garza. And Nikola Vucevic just didn’t give the Celtics enough on either end.

A rookie center may not make the biggest immediate difference, but having another guy in that pipeline could be helpful, especially when it comes to creating competition.

If center is the position of choice, then guys like UConn’s Tarris Reed Jr., Mega Basket’s Luigi Suigo, and North Carolina’s Henri Veesaar could all be within Boston’s range.

Or maybe adding guard depth could be the Celtics’ plan.

A Derrick White trade may be one of their best ways toward substantial improvement of top-end talent, so adding another guard to the mix could be an interesting way to add to a room that would then include Payton Pritchard, Ron Harper Jr., and not much else.

Some guys who could be in the Celtics’ range at 27 include