After adding multiple players late in the first round of recent NBA drafts, the Boston Celtics are projected to follow a familiar path in 2027.
Boston selected Baylor Scheierman with the No. 30 pick in 2024, followed by Hugo Gonzalez at No. 28 in 2025 and Chris Cenac Jr. at No. 27 in 2026.
NBA Draft Room currently projects the Celtics to remain in similar territory next year, predicting that Boston will own the No. 26 overall selection.
With that pick, the Celtics are tipped to target towering 7-foot-2 Michigan center Moustapha Thiam.
Boston Celtics Projected to Target Towering Michigan Center
Thiam previously spent his freshman and sophomore college seasons with UCF and Cincinnati, respectively, before transferring to Michigan.
Across 31 games for Cincinnati last season, the Senegalese center averaged 12.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks while shooting 52.5% from the field and 28.8% from three-point range on 1.7 attempts per game.
“Thiam has an intriguing combination of size, shot blocking and floor spacing ability,” NBA Draft Room recently wrote. “He’s taken big strides over the past year and is really starting to put it all together on the court.”
Much of Thiam’s appeal centers around his imposing interior presence. Across 65 career college appearances, the 20-year-old has averaged 2.1 blocks and 2.4 offensive rebounds per game.
He also flashed significant offensive upside throughout the 2025-26 campaign, scoring more than 20 points on four occasions.
His best performance came in a February victory over Kansas, when Thiam erupted for 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting while knocking down two three-pointers. He also added eight rebounds and two assists.
Thiam recorded at least four blocks in six different games last season. In a March loss to his former team UCF, he produced one of his most imposing defensive performances, finishing with five blocks alongside an impressive 16 rebounds.
Moustapha Thiam Offers Intriguing Modern NBA Skillset
Thiam’s performances earned him 2026 Big 12 Men’s Basketball All-Conference Team Honorable Mention recognition before he entered the transfer portal.
At the time, 247Sports ranked him as the No. 12 overall player available and the third-best center in the portal.
“Thiam is nearly 7-foot-2 with a 7-foot-6 wingspan, making him massive, even by NBA standards,” 247Sports’ Adam Finkelstein wrote.
“What makes him especially intriguing is that he shows potential to be that modern day big, who can stretch the floor in different ways, protect the rim, and provide some relative defensive versatility for his size.”
Finkelstein noted that Thiam’s three-point shooting remains a work in progress, but the towering center has shown an ability to punish defenses when given space.
With Cincinnati last season, Thiam converted an encouraging 40.7% of his unguarded catch-and-shoot three-point attempts.
His overall draft range remains difficult to predict, however, with several outlets currently viewing him as a second-round prospect rather than a first-round selection.
Bleacher Report analyst Jonathan Wasserman projects Thiam to land with the Brooklyn Nets at No. 47, while ESPN’s Jeremy Woo recently ranked him as the No. 43 prospect roughly a year out from the draft.
There is still plenty of time for those projections to change.
Thiam’s upcoming season at Michigan will provide another opportunity to showcase his development, particularly as a perimeter shooter, and potentially push himself firmly into the first-round conversation.
If his stock does rise into that range, the Boston Celtics could find themselves considering another intriguing young frontcourt addition with one of their familiar late first-round selections.
Celtics Tipped to Add 7-Foot-2 Shot-Blocking Force to Boost Frontcourt