New B/R article proposes Boston draft one of a trio of prospects with their No. 53 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft
The 2022 NBA draft is scheduled to be held on June 23, 2022, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York City, a little over a week from today. And while the Boston Celtics may have their hands full trailing the Golden State Warriors 3-2 in the 2022 NBA Finals, they do have a second-round draft pick at their disposal at least some parts of the team’s front office are currently doing their due diligence on.
Plenty of analysts have tried their hand at prognosticating what the Celtics will do with their No. 53 pick, a challenging proposition given the team is not exactly in the right place to offer much in-game development given they are currently competing for titles with a fairly short rotation even in the regular season.
Still, Bleacher Report draft expert Jonathan Wasserman put together a trio of prospects for the Celtics to consider with all this in mind in a new article; let’s see what he has in mind for Boston’s late second-rounder.
Peyton Watson (UCLA, SF, Freshman)
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Noting Boston could “swing for upside or look for a specialist/fit,” Wasserman sees Watson as “the upside pick who’d spend time in the G League and require patience.”
Still, the B/R analyst thinks that Watson might be a diamond in the rough given he was buried behind several other prospects; “Watson measured 6’8″ … with a 7’0½” wingspan at the combine, while high school and FIBA tape showed enough evidence of a big wing who can slash, pass and defend.”
His shooting is truly bad at 32.2% overall and just 22.6% from deep, but his defense and size could make him a helpful project — we have doubts whether the juice would be worth the squeeze, however.
Ron Harper Jr. (Rutgers, SF, Senior)
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“Harper doesn’t offer upside, but the Celtics could see him as a playable rookie,” suggests Wasserman of the son of the famous NBAer of the same name.
“Boston could value Harper’s shooting and decision-making and keep his role simple. He’s lost weight since the season and has an outstanding 7’1¼” wingspan for a wing.”
The Celtics have shown they are open to drafting older players for their ability to contribute even if their upside isn’t so high in the vein of Payton Pritchard, and we agree there may well be similar value here with Harper.
JD Davison (Alabama, PG, Freshman)
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“The Celtics could see an enticing buy-low opportunity with Davison,” offers the B/R writer.
“Concerns over his shooting and decision-making have pushed him down draft boards, though this late, his positional athleticism and setup passing could work for Boston in a bench-spark role.”
While he is still a young prospect at 19, his high turnover rate (2.9 per game) has Davison our least favorite of the three.
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