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It is a rare thing, but maybe symbolic of the difficulty of forecasting this year’s mediocre NBA draft class, to have a player land in the Top 12 in two perfectly respectable mock draft sources, and have the same player out of the first round altogether in another. Such is the case, though, with Duke big man Kyle Filipowski who, significantly, is also forecast to land with the Celtics at pick No. 30 by CBS Sports.
Filipowski is projected to go as high as No. 11 to the Chicago Bulls by USA Today, and No. 12 to the Thunder by SB Nation. That’s consistent with his stock early in the year. However, that’s changed significantly in some places. He is slotted at No. 31—the first pick of the second round—by the estimable Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.
It is a wild predraft outlook for Filipowski, who was a consensus All-American this season, but whose lack of mobility and perimeter shooting prowess could leave him lacking as an NBA prospect. He averaged 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists this season, and shot 50.5% from the field. But he is not a great rim protector, despite standing 6-foot-11, and shot a relatively weak 31.4% from the 3-point line.
Still, for the Celtics, getting a polished big man with lottery potential coming in at the 30th pick has to be considered a bit of a steal.
Kyle Filipowski Most Frequently Slotted in the 20s
Indeed, the mocks that have Filipowski going in the lottery are in the minority. Most often, he is tabbed to go in the mid-20s, to Phoenix at No. 22 or to New York at No. 24 or 25—the Knicks have back-to-back picks there. He also makes sense as a backup center in Denver, which picks at No. 28 overall.
Seeing Filipowski slide all the way to No. 30 would be a pretty big surprise.
As CBS’s Colin Ward-Henninger wrote: “I’ve seen Filipowski much higher in some other mock drafts, and frankly I don’t get it. I’ve certainly been proven wrong before, but he’s not a particularly strong rim protector and his 3-point shot is shaky at best, which I think limits his NBA ceiling. He does have good touch around the basket and can move his feet defensively, so getting into a system like Boston’s would likely to wonders for his development — even if it takes a while.”
Celtics Could Trade Pick as Part of Financial Crunch
When it comes to the Celtics, it’s a bit uncertain what, exactly, they will do with their first-rounder this year. On one hand, it makes sense to keep the pick and try to draft a young piece they can develop to take over a bench role. On the other hand, a first-rounder would take up guaranteed cap space, and the Celtics need to be as frugal as possible to pay for their high-priced starting five.
The Celtics have already given major extensions to Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, and have more to come with Derrick White and Jayson Tatum. If they use their first-round pick, they will want to make sure they get it right.
The Celtics do not have much to show from recent drafts, with second-round picks Jordan Walsh and JD Davison having spent the bulk of last season in the G League and Payton Pritchard being the only draft pick of the past six years to play a significant role on the current NBA Finals team.
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