With slight disappointment, we wonder who Celtics will draft instead of where they will pick
There were no surprises in the 2016 NBA Draft lottery, and so Danny Ainge's team ends up with the third choice. Now the real suspense can begin.
COMMENTARY
As it turns out, the Celtics’ motto for the 2016 NBA draft lottery could have been: Not nearly as soul-crushing as before!
I mean, with wide-angle context, the status quo isn’t too bad, right? The Celtics are coming off a 48-win season, have a brilliant coach, an admirable ready-made supporting cast, the cap room to sign two legitimate stars, and, after Tuesday night’s NBA lottery revelations, now own the third pick in the June draft.
As a franchise, they’re in a good place. And the lottery, which concluded with not a single change to the projected draft order, wasn’t terribly cruel to them this year.
They had the third-best odds of the top pick; they ended up with the third pick. I suppose that’s justice.
It’s not like free-falling from a projected second selection to fifth in 2007, when Kevin Durant went No. 2 overall, or missing with two shots at singular prize Tim Duncan a decade prior.
Third. All right. Could be worse. Has been worse.
The whole process was, if anything, mostly anti-climactic. But in the immediate aftermath, I’ll admit, as Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge himself did later Tuesday night, that there were groans of disappointment when the Celtics logo was revealed as the third choice.
The chalk outcome came accompanied by the frustration of circumstance. The perennially tanking Sixers and wretched Lakers, both longtime Celtics rivals, ended up 1-2, and thus will chose from the two prospects that rate above all others this year: LSU forward Ben Simmons and Duke forward Brandon Ingram.
For a brief moment as the draft order of the lottery was revealed in descending order, the Celtics and their fans were teased that something better might be ahead, that they might get a potential cornerstone in Simmons or Ingram.
When the Timberwolves ended up in the No. 5 slot – the single slot the Celtics had the greatest likelihood of attaining, at a little more than 26 percent – hope rose that the green landed in the top two.
Then came a commercial break on ESPN’s broadcast before the final three were revealed. I still found myself skeptical that they’d hit the top-two jackpot and semi-seriously hoped Ainge had spent the suspenseful pause in the festivities trying to trade the now-guaranteed top-three spot to the Bulls for their lottery representative, star forward Jimmy Butler.
But there was nothing doing, and so third it was. While Isaiah Thomas, the Celtics’ stalwart undersized-guard-turned-undersized-lottery rep, tried to put a positive spin on the outcome by noting that Michael Jordan was once the No. 3 overall pick, the honest reality was easier to find than a post-draft Dikembe Mutombo conspiracy theory:
The Celtics are in a good spot. But they seemed so close to being in a better spot. And nothing is clearer today than it was yesterday, other than that we now know they will not be getting Simmons or Ingram.
Being at No. 3, in the Best of the Rest slot, is intriguing because now that we’re done obsessing about ping-pong balls, we still have no idea what the Celtics will do. Does Ainge try to wheel the pick for a veteran? If so, which veteran? Or is there a player he loves in that spot, someone he sees as the clear-cut third-best guy in this draft? If so, who is it?
Kris Dunn?
Kris Dunn is potential all star and 3rd best player in this draft. Somehow he’ll end up in Boston. Who Danny Ainge moves will be the story.
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) May 18, 2016
Buddy Hield?
Celtics options (if remain at 3): Buddy Hield, Jamal Murray and Dragan Bender. Hield ready to help immediately.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) May 18, 2016
Jamal Murray?
Jamal Murray shot 25-for-27 from NBA 3 in 2 mins in the same star drill pic.twitter.com/gjGQXC2GmM
— NBA Big Board (@chadfordinsider) May 17, 2016
All we know is that no one seems to know. It’s all speculation until Ainge shows his cards.
And so the lottery has come and gone, leaving Celtics fans with fleeting disappointment rather than the usual no-Duncan, no-Durant catastrophic aftermath.
But the suspense remains. The Celtics know where they are picking. Now we wait to find out what they will do.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com