WRG 2012 Mock Draft - #22 Boston Celtics

We don't have many players signed, so we want to draft players who will fit our style no matter which players we pick up to round out our roster.  We also need guys who can give us key minutes in their roles right away.  We are the definition of a "win now" team no matter which players we bring back this season.

We suffered by not having a physical big man to replace Kendrick Perkins, and we feel we addressed that with Festus Ezeli.

To compliment him, we see a guy here who is unique and very much in the tradition of all-around forwards we have had success with in the past.  We are intrigued by his combination of passing, rebounding, ball-handling and mid-range shooting from the PF position.  This is a modern type of player who we feel every team needs to create mismatches and dictate who the opponent can put on the court.

This player has challenges (or we wouldn't be able to sniff him at #22).  He has some problems with anxiety, but we feel we have a strong organization that can support someone with that kind of issue.  He's also a bit of a tweener at only 6'8", but we view that as almost a positive because of his extraordinary skill.  We think he will be a nightmare to defend.  His questionable conditioning and poor free throw shooting are things he has to work hard on, however.

While this seems like a risky pick, we don't think so at all.  We just don't see a way a basketball player like this won't succeed in the NBA at some level.  He is a big, skilled man and he can really play.

The Celtics select Royce White, PF/SF, Iowa State

Thanks for nothing, Google Image Search.

WRG 2012 Mock Draft - #21 Boston Celtics

Everyone has known our team is on the older side of the league for the past few years. We've been trying to infuse younger talent into our lineup, and we like the future of our backcourt. Rondo is an all-NBA caliber point guard, and Avery Bradley looks like a promising young talent to pair with Rondo.

What we really need is some young big men and depth on the interior. We're not sure that Kevin Garnett is coming back, but we don't see a player with his passion calling it quits. We want him around to give us 200%, inspire our team and mentor the young big man that we want to bring in.

With the 21st pick, the Boston Celtics select Festus Ezeli, C, Vanderbilt.

  We love his chiseled frame.

We wanted a center with legitimate size and a defensive presence. We don't need anymore undersized forwards who play below the rim. We want a big bodied difference maker on the inside. Ezeli, even though he's a 4 year player, still oozes potential. He moves remarkably well for his size (6-10) and has only been playing basketball for about 5 years. He also gives us a rim protector, which we desperately need, as shown by his ability to block shots. We debated between Ezeli and Fab Melo, but a couple of red flags made us shy away from Melo, such as his academic issues and lack of offensive game.