Celtics Predicted To Draft St. John’s Big Man After Missing Out On Giannis Antetokounmpo originally appeared on NESN.
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The Boston Celtics tried to land Giannis Antetokounmpo and failed, so now they have to find a new way to improve their frontcourt.
After the Celtics were eliminated in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, blowing a 3-1 lead to the Philadelphia 76ers, Brad Stevens noted the team’s need to improve at the rim.
“My general feeling watching us play in really each of the last two playoffs — the second round against New York, even against Orlando in the first round (last year) — was we had a hard time generating really good looks on that first shot,” Stevens said on May 6. “So we’ve got to figure out a way to do better in that, and I think that one of the things that we’ve got to figure out is how to have more of an impact at the rim. And I think we do need to add to our team to do that.”
With the best option off the board now, the Celtics could use their pick in the NBA Draft on Tuesday on a big man. Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman predicted they would select Zuby Ejiofer from St. John’s.
“Zuby Ejiofor will earn looks from teams that value his energy, physicality and defensive activity,” wrote Wasserman. “But he’s also flashed enough shotmaking, face-up drives and post moves to potentially provide bonus offense at the next level.”
Ejiofer checks in at 6-foot-8, 245 pounds. He was the Big East Player of the Year last season and an All-Region selection. He was the Big East Tournament MVP and the Big East Defensive Player of the Year last season as well. He averaged 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He was a solid player who could develop into a key player for the Celtics.
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