Wanted: Big Scorer To Help Celtics

http://bostonherald.com/sports/celtics_nba/boston_celtics/2014/05/wanted_big_scorer_to_help_celtics



Wanted: Big scorer to help Celtics
Hard to determine who fits mold



Photo by: The Associated Press
NUMBERS GAME: Australian prospect Dante Exum sprints during the NBA draft combine yesterday in Chicago.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
By:  Steve Bulpett





CHICAGO — The Celtics will be drafting — wait for it — the best player available when their turn comes on the evening of June 26. Of course they will.

But if things go their way in the lottery next Tuesday, they might have the chance to, in the same breath, draft for need.

And what the Celtics need now more than anything, including the much-discussed rim protector, is a magnetic scorer. The Celtics need one of those guys you can count on for 20-plus points a night, a guy who can make plays when the play breaks down, whether it’s by fighting through a double-team to score or accepting the additional defensive attention and making the pass that burns the opponent to a crisp.

The word from NBA types here at the draft combine is that Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins are the best bets to fill such a role, but many were quick to add that others could grow into it.

The Celtics currently are a team full of complementary players. Even their best asset, Rajon Rondo, is a pass-first guard who needs great talent around him to turn his orchestration into true music.

They need someone whose mere presence on the floor causes adversaries to alter their defense and, thus, creates more space for his teammates. (Kevin McHale always had an extra couple of feet to make his initial move because Larry Bird’s defender couldn’t cheat in as much.)

“Those are the hardest things to find in our business — you know, guys that can finish games, guys that can really score points,” Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said yesterday. “The Kevin Durants and LeBron Jameses that we’re watching now — Paul George — are the hardest things to find.

“I think that nobody in this draft can do that for us right away. Could some people in this draft develop into some of those players? I hope so, but those guys are hard to find.”

The Celts’ first pick will be as high as No. 1 or as low as No. 8. They also have the 17th overall pick (from Brooklyn), so no matter what the results of the lottery are, they should be able to get two players who can help move the franchise forward. That’s assuming, of course, they don’t trade one or both of the picks.

“There are a lot of good players in this draft, guys that can be starters and guys that can play major roles on really good teams,” Ainge said. “But I’m not sure that there are those 20-to-25-point-a-game guys.

“Jabari averaged 19 points a game in the ACC, so he seems to be the most prepared to do that. (Joel) Embiid’s a rim protector. Wiggins is one of the freakiest athletes that’s come along, and he scored 16 or 17 a game in a tough conference. That’s probably why everyone’s talking about them at the top of the list, because they bring that scoring ability and that scoring potential to the table.”

But there are others.

“Zach LaVine is very raw,” Ainge said. “He didn’t score much down the stretch (for UCLA). I think (Julius) Randle, although he hasn’t shown he can shoot the ball, is still very young and he has some great scoring potential. Marcus Smart scored 18 points a game in the Big 12. He hasn’t shot the ball well, but he has very good scoring potential. (Dante) Exum, I think, has real good potential to be a scorer and a playmaker. Aaron Gordon’s another guy. These guys are all so young.”

Exum would appear to be the most intriguing of the “others.” He has the skills and size that is leading teams to believe he could become special, perhaps enough to challenge Parker, Embiid and Wiggins for a place among the top three.

If the Celtics land on such higher ground, they would have to think long and hard. It’s most important they correctly predict who might be magnetic.

“Agreed,” Ainge said. “I mean, that’s a big part of development. It’s hard to predict. It’s really hard to predict who’s going to get better. That’s why there’s such an emphasis on size and body type and how smart they are, how hard they work.

“That’s why we do all this work in trying to predict who are going to be the guys who succeed.”



bob



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I got halfway through this article and said to myself, "Wow, this is very well thought-out and very well written. It was only then that I realized the writer was Steve Bulpett. I should have known.

I was interested that Danny said that he doesn't think there's a ready-made volume scorer in the draft, although I know some of the psychology fans out there will be looking for subterfuge in his every syllable. I was also interested that he mentioned Exum's name in the group with potential; and (succumbing briefly to my own psychological side) the fact that he buried Exum's name in a bunch of other players and yet Exum was the only one of the bunch whom he gave an unqualified endorsement.

The more pre-draft stories I read, the surer I become that Danny's not all that likely to go after a center in the draft, even if Embiid somehow becomes available to him. Danny's gone through the injured back thing already. I'm not at all sure he'd want to risk it at what could be a pivotal time in the team's rebuilding process. As I've stated before, I also believe Danny has a high degree of confidence or determination concerning getting a center in trade or free agency.

As to precisely how that might happen, I'll leave the details to Danny, and it couldn't be in better hands as far as I'm concerned. Frankly, I'm not interested in fabricating a litany of convoluted maneuverings that might occur. That sort of stuff bores me. Let the professional handle it, and be prepared to root like crazy for whomever he gets in whatever manner he chooses.

Anyway, nice article, Steve.

Sam