For Danny Ainge and the Celtics organization, finding players that fit the profile of what they are looking for can be a challenge, but fortunately they have lucked out with finding prospects that have flourished in the developmental league affiliate team Maine Red Claws.
As we saw last night in the playoff round between the Maine Red Claws and the Fort Wayne Ants, four previous draftees of the Celtics scored a combined 85 points in the first ever playoff victory for the Maine Red Claws 110-106.
For Abdel Nader, forward of the Red Claws, his 23 point performance was not out of the box. Nader has been one of the best D-League prospects this year, only his rookie season, and continues to flourish each and every game. Drafted by the Celtics with the 58th pick in the 2016 class out of Iowa State, Nader was a low pick but his game has a high ceiling. Averaging over 21 points a game with 6 rebounds and dishing 3 assists a game, Nader’s game is all around. At 6’7-6’8, he is a match up problem for guards and is versatile when going against the 4’s and 5’s and draws contact. Nader has yet cracked into the Celtics lineup, but his future looks bright enough to join the surging C’s and add a versatile wing player.
While Nader has not heard the call up yet, forward/center Jordan Mickey has in fact been on the Celtics lineup numerous occasions. Mickey contributed 26 points in the four point win over the Ants and swiped 16 rebounds. Not to mention, Mickey is a block specialist, averaging nearly 3 blocks a game in the regular season and 5 in last night’s playoff game. Combined with last year (Mickey was drafted by Boston with the 33rd pick in the 2015 draft out of LSU), Mickey has played in 39 NBA games and his career averages in the association are very minimal (1.5 ppg, 1.2 rpg). As next season rolls around, we could see an increase of playing time for Mickey and helping the frontcourt.
Point guard Demetrius Jackson had himself a night up in Maine, as he dropped 30 points in the first playoff game of his career wearing red and white. The three year guard at Notre Dame blossomed in the NCAA tournament and has translated his craft skills to the NBA. Averaging roughly 14 points a game in the D-League, Jackson is translating well and should be a helpful point guard that brings athleticism and size (6’1 200 pounds). Jackson has seen time as a Celtic, but even more minimal than Jordan Mickey. The future is bright for the Fighting Irish alum.
One of the most intriguing prospects in all of the NBA D-League in my opinion, French forward Guerschon Yabusele has the shear size to rock you around the rim. Standing 6’8 and 265 pounds, Yabusele is a mammoth of a man and has the body structure like Jared Sullinger, former Celtics forward/center and has a soft touch around the rim. Drafted 16th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft, the expectations were unclear of where Yabusele would end up with the Celtics. The C’s made it work with sending him overseas to prove his worth with the Chinese basketball association. With putting up monster numbers, Yabusele has returned over and joined the Red Claws March 29th. Only two games in and his presence has been detected. The last regular season game, “The Dancing Bear”, as they call him, put up a double double and contributed six points in the last game.
These four prospects are highly regarded and are key assets to the Celtics organization. Whether they are trade assets or long term chess pieces of this team, the Celtics were diligent of who they were drafting and bringing in.
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