Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
But while the Celtics will likely procure the Kings pick, it’s not guaranteed, and the protections on it will make this season a roller coaster for fans eyeing prospects like Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett.
The pick, a result of Boston’s trade from one to three (Jayson Tatum) in the 2017 draft, is top-one protected. As long as it doesn’t hit the absolute top of the lottery, the Celtics are fine. If it does, however, the Philadelphia 76ers will get a chance to add yet another young talent to their promising core. That could mean Cam Reddish — who would help stretch the floor and fill a need at the wing — or Barrett, a star combo guard who would slot in perfectly.
ESPN’s latest mock draft is a stark reminder of how pivotal the draft lottery will be. Using Kevin Pelton’s win-loss projections, draft expert Jonathan Givony projected Boston completely out of the lottery — the Kings have a league-worst 25.4 wins based on his numbers, and the Grizzlies finish with 33.1 despite the return of Mike Conley and Marc Gasol.
Mass Live — New ESPN mock a reminder that Zion Williamson, lottery hopes are no guarantee
Picture this: It’s the evening of game two of the Eastern Conference Finals and Boston is the epicenter of the basketball universe. The Cs lost game one to the 76ers in overtime, but it’s a long series and tonight is a big night. The last real crown jewel in Danny Ainge’s treasure chest of draft assets (depending on when that Grizzlies pick conveys) should be actualized tonight. The Sacramento Kings stumbled their way to the league’s second worst record (what’s new?) and there’s an 86% chance that the pick goes to the Celtics.
After a half an hour of interminable speculation and fluffy interviews with Zion Williamson, Cam Reddish and Nassir Little, Mark Tatum finally takes the dais and begins revealing lottery positions. There go the Timberwolves at number 14 with Jimmy Butler representing the team. Once the card is shown, he breathes a sigh of relief, stands up, wheels out his suitcase with all of his belongings and begins free agency is earnest. The Knicks, of course, end up at number 6 even though they had the third worst record in the league. As we head to commercial break, there’s excitement amongst you and your friends as the Kings are guaranteed a spot in the top three. With this excitement, though, comes a creeping anxiety — there’s now only a 66% chance that the pick goes to the Celtics. You get a text from your Philly friend with nothing but the :eyes: emoji. Your stomach starts to twist.
Rich Gotham and Bryan Colangelo former Sixers “legend” Aaron McKie stand awkwardly alongside Trae Young and Jonathan Isaac as Rich Gotham pulls out the number three envelope. The Orlando Magic. You’ve never hoped so hard for good things to come to the city of Atlanta. Your odds are down to 50%.
I’ll stop the scene there. Obviously we haven’t even started the season yet, so to talk about a hypothetical draft lottery scenario is absurd. But we’re still in no-mans land for NBA news (just a few more weeks left!) so bear with me.
There’s a chance, however slight, that the 76ers, who seem to be the best bet for the Celtics most serious foe over the next 5-6 years, will get better at the expense of the Cs.
I’m already sweating just thinking about draft lottery night.
On page 2, ESPN’s BPI really likes the Cs
Look, I won’t pretend to know what these numbers actually mean, but that’s a pretty significant statistical difference from the Celtics at number two, to the Rockets at number three. There’s also a big drop between the perceived top five teams in the league to the rest of them.
We’ll get to our Red’s Army season predictions next month, but I get the feeling my trusty colleagues and I will be seeing eye-to-eye with these projections, and not those done by the likes of Kevin Pelton, who really dug into last year’s expected win totals by point differential to inform his projections. The Cs are loaded, they’re well-coached and they’re well run. Second best in the league and a semi-threat to the Warriors makes sense to me.
The rest of the links:
NBCSports Boston — How will Gordon Hayward’s return affect Jaylen Brown
Sports Illustrated — Jayson Tatum Q&A
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