The Boston Celtics began their road to redemption with the 6th and 17th picks in the 2014 NBA Draft. They selected Oklahoma State PG Marcus Smart and Kentucky SG James Young respectively. Lets take a look at the picks and the road ahead for this squad who still have a great deal of decisions to make.
Marcus Smart: Smart had an excellent year again for Oklahoma State averaging 18.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 4.8 apg and 2.9 spg. Many people thought that he could be one of the top picks in the draft had he declared last year, and with the quality of that draft class so far, that very well may be true.
He has caused some controversy in his time in Stillwater, especially when he shoved a fan while playing at Texas Tech. Nevertheless, he is an emotional player who the players at Oklahoma State gravitated around and the same will happen in Boston. People are worried that this could spell the end of Rajon Rondo in Boston, but people should be less pessimistic. Smart is more versatile and can actually play alongside Rondo on the floor. He could become part of a backcourt that is flexible depending on what they do in free agency (Ex: Rondo/Young/Green, Smart/Young/Green, Rondo/Smart/Young). Regardless of where he plays, he could be a staple of this team for years to come.
James Young: Young was a big part of Kentucky’s championship final run, averaging 14.3 ppg and 4.3 rpg. He was one of the youngest players in this draft class and has plenty of time to develop under the other members of this squad. He has the height of a small forward but the shooting touch of a shooting guard giving him more flexibility in the offense. His upside is enormous and he could become one of the biggest spark plugs of this offense in the next few years. He does struggle with defense but because they drafted Marcus Smart who is in contrast a very good defensive player, they could bring him on in certain situations that call for more offense and play him alongside Smart. It’s clear that Danny Ainge was looking for strong guard play to work with the developing youngsters down low.
So what happens now for the Celtics? The next step is free agency. One of the potential top targets could be Greg Monroe, the center from Detroit. He could be an excellent compliment to Jared Sullinger. They also need to address what they will do with UFAs Jerryd Bayless and Kris Humphries as well as RFA Avery Bradley. Thanks to the drafting of two guards, both Bayless and Bradley could be on the chopping block. It also may spell the end of Phil Pressey in Boston.
As for Humphries, he may also be gone and the Celtics are breathing a sigh of “cap” relief because his final $12 million is off the books. He could potentially re-sign but it remains to be seen how much the Celtics like him. Keep in mind the Celtics have two first round picks in 2015, 2016 and 2018 as well as the option to swap first rounders with Brooklyn in 2017. A package of those and some players could still land a big name like Kevin Love. It is not out of the question for this to happen. Its going to be a crazy offseason for the 2008 NBA champions. Stay tuned.
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