What will Celtics do with their eight picks and other important NBA Draft questions

CBS Sports'

Jon Rothstein has the answers to the draft's most pressing topics



CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein answers the five biggest questions heading in the 2016 NBA Draft.

1. What will the Celtics do?

It's the million dollar question and it's the one that nobody has an answer to. Boston owns a combined eight picks in the first and second rounds which makes it more equipped to do a deal than anyone else in the draft. Celtics president Danny Ainge has privately done extensive research on both Dunn and Cal's Jaylen Brown, but there's also a very good chance that he could use the third overall pick to land a veteran player in return. This franchise has been building towards this day for a very long time and is in excellent position to maximize its assets. If Simmons and Ingram go first and second as expected, then the Celtics will essentially control the draft moving forward.

2. Could this draft have a D'Angelo Russell?

What does that mean exactly? Twelve months ago, Russell leapfrogged Jahlil Okafor and was selected second overall by the Los Angeles Lakers after much of the pre-draft chatter was centered on whether Okafor or Karl-Anthony Towns would be the number one pick. Could a player on Thursday jump Brandon Ingram after Philadelphia takes Ben Simmons with the first pick? It's not likely, but if it's going to be anybody then it will be Kris Dunn. The 6-4 point guard is the best two-way player in the draft and sources have told CBS Sports that the Lakers are major fans of Dunn's game. Ingram is expected to go second overall after Simmons is selected, but if there's a player in the 2016 NBA Draft that's going to alter things, it's going to be Dunn. Providence coach Ed Cooley told CBS Sports on Tuesday that he "doesn't see any way" that Dunn isn't a top-five pick.

3. How good is Dragan Bender?

An NBA general manager told CBS Sports recently that Bender is better than any foreign prospect the draft has seen over the past few years other than Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis drew the ire of the New York crowd last year when he was selected fourth overall, but wound up being a pleasant surprise as a rookie. Bender has good size (7-foot, 220) and will be drafted somewhere in the top-10. It will be interesting to see which NBA fan base winds up with Bender on Thursday night at the Barclays Center. Think a bigger Nikola Mirotic.

4. Which sleeper has major upside potential?

Demetrius Jackson. The 6-1 point guard is an explosive athlete and could really benefit from the NBA's hand check rules. It's going to be awfully tough for defenders to stay in front of Jackson and he should really flourish with more emphasis on spacing and speed at the professional level. Jackson started on back-to-back teams at Notre Dame that reached the Elite Eight and has Eric Bledsoe-like similarities. This will wind up being a steal for someone in the middle part of the first round.

5. Which sleeper has major role player potential?

DeAndre Bembry. The versatile forward was the cement that filled the cracks the past few seasons for Saint Joseph's and had an integral role in helping the Hawks win two of the past three Atlantic 10 Tournaments. Bembry can play multiple positions, augments the level of everyone around him, and is good enough to help a playoff caliber team in the NBA next season. The New Jersey native averaged 23.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists while shooting 56.0 percent from the field last March in the Atlantic 10 title game and two NCAA Tournament tilts. Another thing that's underrated about this kid? How well he takes care of the ball. Bembry only averaged one turnover every 18.3 minutes last season as a junior; Tyler Ulis averaged one turnover every 18.6 minutes in 15-16 at Kentucky. Atlanta, Philadelphia, and San Antonio have shown significant interest and all three own picks between 20 and 30.

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BARRING A TRADE DUNN IS THE PLAYER DANNY WILL SELECT. HE IS BEST 2 WAY PLAYER IN THE DRAFT AND POTENTIAL NBA ALL STAR.

DANNY LIKES DEFENSE AND DUNN CAN HELP IMMEDIATELY. IT FEES DANNY TO EITHER TRADE DUNN AS A TOP COMMODITY OR KEEP HIM WHILE TRADING OTHER GUARD ASSETS FOR ANOTHER POSITION.

THE ONLY OUTSIDE POSSIBILITY FOR IMMEDIATE HELP IS HIELD.

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