It's that time of year. The 2026 NBA Draft is less than one month away, and as things currently stand, the Boston Celtics have the No. 27 and No. 40 picks.
With so much focus on the Celtics throughout the season, keeping up with college and international hoops is tough. So, this is my plan.
Obviously, there are plenty of scouting reports out there. Plenty of people have shared their opinions on every single player in this year's draft class. But I want my opinion to be its own.
So, I am going to watch two full games of every prospect I think the Celtics could potentially target. I don't want to be swayed by outside opinions, so I am going to try my best to stay away from external scouting reports until I have concluded my own mini-scouts.
And instead of waiting until I've scouted everyone, I wanted to begin sharing my thoughts here. Just to keep you all -- the loyal BSJ readers -- in the loop.
I started with some big men: UConn's Tarris Reed Jr., North Carolina's Henri Veesaar, and Houston's Chris Cenac.
Side note: I compiled a list of seven different mock drafts -- The Ringer, Yahoo Sports, ClutchPoints, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, ESPN, and NBA Draft Room -- in order to figure out which prospects could fall in Boston's range.
However, some of the mocks were only one round, so for those drafts, if a player went unselected, I gave them a 61 before calculating an average draft position (ADP), which can make the numbers a little wonky.
Cenac's ADP was 20.6, Veesaar's was 24.6, and Reed's was 36.6 (two non-first-round selections).
© Christine Tannous/In
Tarris Reed Jr.
Reed was a darling of the NCAA Tournament this year. He transferred to UConn for the 2024-25 season after two years at Michigan, splitting his four collegiate years between the two schools.
The big man was a monster on the glass and a huge reason the Huskies were able to reach the National Championship, where they ultimately fell to Michigan -- a team that may end up having three first-round picks this season.
The two games I watched were UConn vs. Duke in the Elite Eight and UConn vs. Michigan in the National Championship. For most of these players, I wanted to watch them against high-level competition. For Reed, in particular, after watching him battle Cameron Boozer, Patrick Ngongba II, and Maliq Brown, I wanted to see how he fared against 7-foot-3 Aday Mara.
What I found is that UConn played through him in the post. A lot. In both scenarios. He was a huge focal point of their offense, whether it was his screening, scoring, or offensive rebounding pressure.
Most mock drafts have Reed slotted to go late in the first round. The earliest a mock had him going was 21st (NBA Draft Room), and the latest was 37 (ESPN) -- that's not including the two first-round-only mocks (The Ringer and Bleacher Report) that did not have him getting drafted in the top 30.
Badges
As you can see, I have included some badges under Reed's player information. These are three of the most impressive skills or traits that stood out to me while watching him play.
Got that dog in him: This guy has a motor. He's always working. Whether that's fighting on the glass, finding places to screen, or diving on the ground for a loose ball, he's ready to leave his blood, sweat, and tears on the court.
Brick wall: Don't be fooled by Reed technically being just under 6-foot-10 without shoes on -- this guy is a beast. At first, I thought he wasn't a great screen-setter. Then I realized the players were just trying to avoid being screened by him. Because when his screens connect -- watch out.
Blue-collar hands: Reed has a working man's hands. He may have soft touch around the rim, but when the ball is thrown to him, he's going to grab it. If a rebound opportunity is flying through the air? He's going to get his hands on it. There isn't a ball Reed can't get his muscle-infused fingertips on.
Strenghs
Rebounding: As you can probably tell by the blue-collar hands moniker, Reed is very effective on the glass. He'll tip the ball to himself. He'll fight through traffic for a chance to get a board. And at times, it feels like he's coated his hands with Gorilla Glue. The ball just sticks to him.
Defensive effort: Reed isn't afraid to bang down low. He has a strong frame and doesn't back down from a challenge -- whether that be Boozer, Mara, or whoever he eventually meets in the NBA. He's eager to jump for blocks, and though his timing may need some work, the instincts are there.
Offensive flow: Although Dan Hurley used Reed in the post a lot, he also deployed him as a run-around screener. He would screen off-ball. On-ball. Spring guys open for threes. Get Alex Karaban open cuts off curls. Reed was just constantly making himself available as a screener on offense, and that's a very useful trait to have around.
Passing instincts: Despite not averaging many assists in college, Reed flashed some impressive passing instincts at UConn. He clearly as an astute awareness of the court at all times, whether it be out of the post, at the top of the key, or in a scramble for a rebound.
Weaknesses
Switchability: Reed shows glimpses of being able to switch onto wings and guards, but the agility may not be there quite yet. He could struggle with some of the NBA's twitchier guards and quicker wings if he gets switched onto them.
Jump shot: There isn't one. And that's okay. In two games, I only saw Reed take one 3-point attempt, and it actually looked okay. But he doesn't project to be a shooter at the next level.
Post-heavy touches: Again, UConn consistently used Reed's post-ups as go-to offense. He showed off some solid touch, particularly against Duke, but once he had to shoot over Mara, it wasn't quite as crisp. That said, the touch is there to be tapped into. Just maybe not in too many post-up situations against towering NBA centers.
Overeager: Maybe it's good that the effort is there, but Reed can get caught off-balance at times. He'll jump too early for a block -- as noted -- or bite too hard on a pump-fake or jab-step from a guard. It leaves him liable to get blown by at times, even though his actual defensive footwork on the perimeter is decent.
© Bob Donnan
Henri Veesaar
Veesaar -- a native of Tallinn, Estonia -- transferred to North Carolina for the 2025-26 campaign (his final college season). Before that, he was at Arizona, where he played two seasons, but with a redshirt year in between.
The near-seven-footer was one of the best 3-point-shooting big men in the country this year. He cooled off as the season went on and still finished at 42.6% from distance.
The two games I watched were North Carolina vs. Duke and North Carolina vs. Louisville. First, I wanted to see Veesaar against top competition, then against quicker guards (still facing big bodies).
What I found was that UNC used him a lot in the pick-and-roll. He was constantly setting screens and either slipping to the rim or popping out for potential 3-point opportunities. Defensively, he looked much more comfortable in drop, and the Tar Heels tried to keep him there. (Though keep in mind that, in college, it seems like teams rarely want their biggest guys away from the rim.)
Most mock drafts have Veesaar being selected in the mid-20s. The earliest a mock had him going was 20 (Yahoo Sports), and the latest was 31 (ClutchPoints). Three different mocks (Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, and ESPN) had him going to the Los Angeles Lakers at pick No. 25.
Badges