The Boston Celtics’ first round draft pick for the coming 2024 NBA draft may be the last in that round, thanks to the Celtics having locked up the best regular season record in the league for their 2023-24 campaign. But that doesn’t mean they are not scouring the prospects who have declared for this summer’s draft, and the folks at the Ringer have done the same.
For the Celtics in the first round, they like Marquette big man Oso Ighodaro. A 21-year-old combo big who stands 6-foot-11 and has the lateral mobility to guard the perimeter and switch when called on, Ighodaro has no jumper to speak of.
And while that might be a problem for a player more suited to play the four at the NBA level, a team with shooting centers like Boston could find a way to make the high-IQ forward fit.
His passing and defense have been compared to Al Horford, and he can catch and flush lobs when vertical spacing is needed to change up the offensive attack.
While we might prefer a big with a trey like DaRon Holmes in this draft, Horford was also once a non-shooter, so we wouldn’t be opposed to rolling the dice with Ighodaro.
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