The Boston Celtics positioned themselves quite nicely in the last couple of drafts. Last year, they were able to select Jaylen Brown early in the first round, and after winning the lottery earlier this month, they are believed to be just 10 days from adding adding consensus top pick Markelle Fultz to the fold. The two will be important pieces as they continue to build a winning culture into the future, and their top brass, including Danny Ainge, understand that they have a lot of similarities.
Although they play different positions, both Fultz and Brown been part of college teams that have failed to win a lot of games. Brown is a product of the California Golden Bears, who had an early exit in the NCAA Tournament during his lone season in Berkeley. Fultz, the former Washington Huskie, also saw his team lose the vast majority of their outings. However, they were both able to showcase their talents well enough to be top prospects heading into their respective drafts. Ainge recently gave his thoughts on the two, via Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald:
“The difference between Jaylen and Markelle is that Markelle still put up great numbers.”
“I liken it to Markelle being a quarterback on a bad football team, but still throwing for 400 yards a game, and Jaylen would have been the great wide receiver on a team that spent all of its time running the ball.”
“I was never concerned with Jaylen’s shot selection, and maybe that’s because I watched him a lot, going back to high school. I didn’t worry about a 19-year-old kid’s shot selection — don’t really notice that, though believe me, I’ve questioned that in a lot of players.”
The team president then discussed how the C’s have scouted both Brown and Fultz way before the lottery:
“We had determined who they were long before they got to their college situations. You look at things like USA Basketball and AAU. You say the same about Ben Simmons — really talented players on losing teams. You already know who they are.”
“But basketball is a team game. Players have to be put in the right situations.”
Ainge also talked about the physical attributes the two have, acknowledging that Fultz will have to work on his frame to help him thrive in the NBA:
“That helps a lot, and Jaylen had a man’s body and physique. He was physically and emotionally older than his age. I feel it helps him a ton. He just had to learn an awful lot about the game. It helped him defensively and offensively. He handled a 100-game season in great fashion. He really played well.”
“Markelle is about a year younger than Jaylen was. He’s not as strong. He does have a good body, but it needs work.”
With less than two weeks before the draft, the Celtics are expected to have already done their homework and have at least trimmed down their options on who to select first overall. Should it be Fultz, they will have a dynamic player who can play both guard spots and could blossom playing alongside Isaiah Thomas. Having him and Brown in their fold gives them a very bright future, something the Beantown faithful should be excited about.
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