Here’s how things would have gone down if I had been calling the shots the last 10 drafts.

… I suck.

2017

Pick #3 - Jayson Tatum

My Pick - Jayson Tatum

I remember I wasn’t 100% on board with trading the #1 overall pick for #3, but this has to be one of, if not the, greatest moves of Danny Ainge’s executive career. Josh Jackson was also in the mix, but after he ghosted the C’s on a workout I think we all were pretty deadset on Tatum.

Pick #37 - Semi Ojeleye

My pick - Jordan Bell

Semi isn’t someone I did a lot of research on predraft, and honestly Jordan Bell is the only player I recognized that was left at this point. Given my predilection for always wanting to draft bigs, Bell was who I had eyes for. Bell does fit into my anti draft philosophy of drafting an undersized big with no shooting/passing skills, though.

Picks #53 and #56 - No idea

I can’t pretend I had guys lined up this deep. I barely had a guy I liked at 37.

 

2018

Pick #27 - Robert Williams

My pick - Omari Spellman

Going into this draft, I was looking at Spellman because I liked the Kevin Love archetype of a rebounding and shooting big man. I’m not super sure what happened to Spellman, he looked like he had solid stats for a young big man, but only got 2 shots with NBA teams and never got a chance again. Rob is the obvious pick here, just because he dropped so far. Because of his injury issues, it’s worth spending the #27 pick on that kind of question mark, where lottery teams were scared.

 

2019

Pick #14 - Romeo Langford

My pick - Romeo Langford

We don’t have to feel so bad about the Langford pick, as the next 2 picks in the draft had similarly underwhelming careers, in Sekou Dembouya and Chuma Okeke. Tommy Heinsohn had a lot of good things to say about Langford before the draft, which cemented the pick for me against who was available. The only other guy I was hyped on for this pick was Tyler Herro, who went the pick before and was unavailable.

Pick #22 - Grant Williams

My pick - Nassir Little

I really liked Little as a defender here, with some upside as a potential shooter. I really like his potential versatility as a defender. The only other guy I liked here is Darius Bazley, but not nearly as much as Little. Grant wasn’t even on my radar.

Pick #33 - Carsen Edwards

My Pick - Carsen Edwards

I was hyped on the Quad Father coming out of college and was super hyped we scooped him up. He had microwave scorer potential and I liked him as a 6th man. I also really liked Admiral Schofield and Bol Bol here.

Pick #51 - Tremont Waters

My pick - No idea

Can’t pretend I had anything lined up this deep lol

 

2020

Pick #14 - Aaron Nesmith

My pick - Aaron Nesmith

Nesmith was shooting 50% from 3 in college before he got hurt. I really loved the combination of energy, shooting, and size. I really liked a handful of guards here, including Cole Anthony, Josh Green, and Tyrese Maxey, but this pick was nobody but Nesmith for me if he was available. I will say, when Haliburton was falling I was hoping we’d scoop him up.

Pick #26 - Payton Pritchard

My pick - Theo Maledon

This draft was crazy for me, there were a bunch of guys in this range I liked. Theo Maledon was hyped as a real facilitator at PG, which I thought the team could really use at this point. Other guys I liked were Vernon Carey Jr., Tyrell Terry, and Xavier Tillman.

Pick #30 - Desmond Bane (Traded)

My pick - Theo Maledon/Xavier Tillman

Maledon is still on the board here, but in an imaginary world where I took Maledon with the last pick, and someone else took Bane, I would have taken Tillman.Tillman was slated as an NBA ready body from the get go. Just a hard nosed player who can move his feet on defense. The C’s were competing at this point and I wanted a guy who could get minutes asap.

Pick #47 - Yam Madar

My pick - Grant Riller

I had no idea who Yam Madar was. Grant Riller was considered a sleeper in this years draft. He’s a player who reportedly had a good handle and feel for the game. His measurables and athleticism were underwhelming, but scouts liked his head and he seemed like a strong backup PG. I also liked Paul Reed here, as I always have a big man lined up.

 

2021

Pick #45 - Juhann Begarin

My pick - Luka Garza

I was getting so hyped as I slowly watched Ayo Dosunmu fall out of the first round, but he got snapped up at #38. My pick here would have been Luka Garza. There really isn’t much of a reach at this point in the draft. There was just something I liked about Garza in college. If both players are sprinting, Garza is going to lose the race, the difference was, Garza is always sprinting. He spent his college career out working more athletic guys and I felt like it would translate to the NBA. I still love Garza as a 3rd - 4th big man and I was hyped the C’s signed him.

 

2022

Pick #53 - JD Davison

My pick - No idea

As someone who loves the draft, this year was a bummer. Walking in with pick #53 is rough for fans to engage with. I liked the pick at the time, but him not being able to develop a 3 was rough. Pick and roll ball handlers need to be able to pull up to keep defenses honest defending the action. It’s just too easy to guard at this point if you can give the ball handler space on the perimeter.

 

2023

Pick #38 - Jordan Walsh

My pick - No idea

Going in, I really liked Olivier-Maxence Prosper. He unfortunately got drafted right before the C’s could pick. The C’s immediately started punting this pick back repeatedly, scooping up a bunch of 2nd round picks, and also grabbing Walsh. I really didn’t have anyone lined up or researched 13 picks later.

 

2024

Pick # 30 - Baylor Scheierman

My pick - Kyle Filipowski/Tyler Kolek

Filipowski fell, potentially due to character concerns, but theres no better time to take a swing on a talent that dropped than pick #30. His size and finesse were intriguing for me. I also liked Tyler Kolek here. He reminded me a bit of TJ McConnell here, but with a 3 pointer. I like the edge he plays with. I was also hyped on his college teammates at Marquette, Oso Ighodoro and Kameron Jones, but obviously much later in the draft.

Pick #54 - Anton Watson

My pick - Ulrich Chomche/Kevin McCullar Jr.

I actually had picks here, and they were guys I thought would go much earlier. Chomche is still an intriguing player. He has elite size and mobility for that size, but he seemed not to grasp the finer details of the game. He’s still on a 2-way for Toronto. Kevin McCullar is the exact opposite of Chomche where he was an older player who looked like he could contribute early in his career. He was considered a jack of all trades and he reminded me a bit of Evan Turner. He has good size, and is reasonably skilled as a ball handler. His big question as a 5th year college player, was if he was really that much more talented, or was he a bigger and older guy bullying college level athletes. Like Chomche, McCullar is in the G-League and i’d love to see the C’s try him out.

 

2025

Pick #28 - Hugo Gonzalez

My pick - Johni Broome

There are a handful of guys I wanted here, and most of them went off the board before the C’s went. I liked Will Riley and Danny Wolf as offensive guys. Johni Broome I liked because of his energy on D. I was aware of his upside limitations, but really liked the energy and hustle. In college Broome gave 100% on D and on the boards. Hugo was mocked all over the place and i hadn’t researched him. I really appreciate the C’s willingness to take the guys who drop, it seems to be a theme.

Picks #46 & #57 - No idea

I didn’t have anyone lined up this deep in the draft.

 

2026

Pick #27 - Chris Cenac

My pick - Chris Cenac

I was so sure Cenac was going to get snapped up, but he fell all the way to Boston and I couldn’t be happier. Before the season, a lot of folks thought the C’s were going to be drafting somewhere in the late lottery, and I highlighted Cenac as a guy I’d like the C’s to take in that range. I was called stupid and told Cenac was definitely going top 10. Well jokes on you dad, now who is the stupid?! Had Cenac not fallen, my guy was Meleek Thomas. He played behind Acuff in college and I figured he had a lot more he could do not being stuck behind a heliocentric guy like Acuff.

Pick #40 - Dillon Mitchell

My pick - Henri Veesaar

I know we took Mitchell because he Brad thought he was the best player available who was willing to take a 2 way. For some reason Veesaar as trying to force his way to either Atlanta or LAL. I don’t really get what happened, but everyone saw the freefall and knew something fishy was going on. I was definitely happy to see the C’s double down on C. Not knowing Veesaar would be available at 40, I actually did highlight Mitchell in a pre-draft posts.