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Ben Bentil never expected to last until the 51st pick in the draft, though his college coach, Ed Cooley, said: “Any time you end up getting drafted by the Boston Celtics, it’s worth the wait. . . . (But) I am surprised. I thought he’d go a little earlier than this, but that’ll fuel his fire, and he’s going to go at it.”

The question is whether Bentil should have been in the draft at all. Many NBA observers believe strongly he should have stayed with the Friars another year to work on his game and improve his stock.

“I think it was a difficult call because he had such a great year,” said Cooley. “He had a really good year, and I thought he had an opportunity, but somebody had to like him, you know what I mean? And I’m appreciative of the Celtics giving him an opportunity to show what he can do.

“Getting a roster spot there is going to be very difficult, but I think, given the opportunity, he’s tough, he can score and he’s really physical. And hopefully some physicality and some scoring from a frontcourt person is something that Danny (Ainge) and Coach (Brad) Stevens can use. He’s all of 6-81⁄2 flat-foot. He’s got a good wingspan and a great motor — a really, really good motor. I think he can add something to a team, and as he learns what the NBA game is about, I think he can improve.”

Boston Herald – C’s Bentil has much to prove

Hey, Reds Army readers: welcome to late July and August! Ready for a dearth of NBA related news as your trusty bloggers either dredge up recycled hot takes about the Celtics still being primed to make a blockbuster trade (I see you, Kevin O’Connor. Never give up hope!), or scrape together promising quotes from second round rookies and/or their coaches? Well, even if you’re not ready, that’s what’s coming, so let’s talk Ben Bentil, shall we?

Bentil’s name was bandied about leading up to the draft as a potential late first round selection. Instead, he dropped to the Celtics near the end of the second round. Having watched a bit of Bentil in Summer League, my best former Celtic comparison was Brandon Bass. A high-energy player on offense who doesn’t pass up an open shot from 15+ feet with a lot to learn on defense. Where he’ll be hoisting shots and learning the finer points of NBA defense remains to be seen. Bentil’s contract is partially guaranteed, which means he’ll likely play in Maine this season as opposed to hopping overseas. If the Cs roster during the season looks much like it does now, it would take an injury to a big (or a trade involving Tyler Zeller or Amir Johnson) to maybe get Bentil a look in Boston.

His long-term prospects in green look pretty iffy, too, with the Cs stashing two first round bigs overseas who are likely ahead of Bentil when it comes to the Cs long-term plans in the front-court.

There’s always that chance, however, that Bentil’s fall on draft night engenders an unending chip on his shoulder, which propels him to the Cs rotation given injuries or trades up the depth chart in front of him. Whichever way he goes, Bentil faces a steep climb to a role with the Celtics — it’ll be worth seeing how he progresses in October.

On page 2, who had Tyler Zeller as the Cs fourth highest paid player?

Celtics current depth chart/salaries, where it’s Tyler Zeller: Fourth on your depth chart, fourth on your payroll. pic.twitter.com/sb1CesIV4z

— Chris Forsberg (@ESPNForsberg) July 23, 2016

Yeah, that’s right Isaiah and Jae, get ready to carry Tyler Zeller’s bags for him and make donut runs for #44 on a regular basis. If you’re lucky, he may just tip you a couple hundred bucks for your troubles and cheer extra loud for you from his spot on the end of the bench, where he’ll cry about lack of playing time and wipe up his tears with hundred dollar bills like Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne watching a Pacific Bell Commercial.

Tyler Zeller. The $8 million man (and yes, I realize the strategy behind giving Zeller a 2-year deal with the second year non-guaranteed).