The Boston Celtics currently are on pace to have four first-round picks in the 2019 NBA Draft, and ESPN's latest NBA mock draft took a stab at projecting which college stars will land with the 17-time champions.
ESPN draft experts Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz posted the their new 2019 NBA mock draft (ESPN+ access required) Tuesday, and here are the players projected to fall to the Celtics in Round 1 (the draft order was formulated using ESPN's BPI).
No. 6 (via Sacramento Kings): Romeo Langford, SF, Indiana
No. 14 (via Memphis Grizzlies): Rui Hachimura, PF, Gonzaga
No. 24 (via Los Angeles Clippers): Talen Horton-Tucker, SF, Iowa St.
No. 26: Jaylen Hoard, PF, Wake Forest
No huge surprises with these picks. All of them are wing players -- the ideal position in the modern NBA and one the C's have prioritized in recent drafts with the selections of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Here's why the Celtics currently are projected to have four 2019 first-round picks:
--The Grizzlies are fourth in the Western Conference and their pick conveys to Boston if it's outside the top eight.
--The Clippers owe their 2019 first rounder to the C's if it's outside the lottery, and Los Angeles enters Tuesday atop the West standings.
--The Sacramento Kings' 2019 first-round selection goes to the Celtics via the Philadelphia 76ers if it's not the No. 1 overall pick. If it's the top pick, Boston receives Philly's 2019 first rounder.
--The Celtics still have their own 2019 first-round pick.
The last team with four first-round picks in one draft was the Kings in 1990. They selected Lionel Simmons (No. 7), Travis Mays (No. 14), Duane Causwell (No. 18) and Anthony Bonner (No. 23). Those four players combined for zero All-Star appearances. The last franchise with three first rounders in the same draft was the 76ers in 2016. They selected Ben Simmons (No. 1), Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot (No. 24) and Furkan Korkmaz (No. 26).
Boston Celtics
There's no guarantee the Celtics have four firsts in 2019, and it probably would benefit them if the Memphis pick doesn't convey until 2021 when it becomes unprotected, but it's still a good situation for Boston to be in entering the February trade deadline.
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