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Who should the Celtics take in the 2017 NBA Draft?

The 2017 draft is supposed to be one of the best in recent memory, with top guard talent in Washington's Markelle Fultz, UCLA's Lonzo Ball and NC State's Dennis Smith Jr, while there are a few interesting options at the wing/forward position with Josh Jackson from Kansas, Florida State's Jonathan Isaac and Jayson Tatum from Duke.

For the sake of this post, let's say that Brooklyn continues toiling at the bottom of the NBA, and the ping pong balls bounce the C's way and they end up with the 1st pick. Fultz, Ball and Jackson have really been the only ones in the conversation for 1st overall, while Isaac, Tatum and Smith Jr are in the Top 5 conversation. I'm going to talk about Fultz, Ball and Jackson, and try to breakdown who I think should go 1st overall.

Lets start with Markelle Fultz.

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Fultz is a 6'4" combo guard in the mold of Russell Westbrook. This year for the Huskies, he's averaging 23 PPG while dishing out 5.9 APG and grabbing 5.9 RPG. The one knock against Fultz is that Washington is only 9-17, and has virtually no chance at the NCAA Tournament. Other than that, he can pass, he can shoot (evidenced by his 48% on shots from the field and 42% from behind the arc) and he rebounds well for his position. He even seems to have mastered the art of the chase down block, and he's averaging almost 2 blocks per game. He would fit great in the Celtics backcourt with another former Washington Husky, Isaiah Thomas, which would then allow Avery Bradley to come off the bench to pair with Marcus Smart to form a great defensive backcourt pairing. IT and Fultz would be a very dynamic offensive duo as both can effectively play off the ball, while the other can handle it just as well. Besides the fact that Fultz is the consensus #1 talent and pick in this draft among scouts, he'd also be the best fit for the Celtics out of himself, Ball and Jackson.

Next up is UCLA's Lonzo Ball.

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Ball has been the talk of the country this year as he has helped UCLA become one of the top teams in college with a 23-3 record, and has generally cemented himself as a top 3 pick. Ball has been drawing the lofty comparison of Jason Kidd for his great passing abilities and court vision. Despite his unorthodox shooting motion, he can shoot the 3 very well (43% from deep this season). However, he doesn't have much of a mid range game, and that would be putting it nicely. Lonzo has hit just two mid range jumpers all year. Two. He seems to either shoot a 3, or drives the lane and dishes it out, or finishes at the rim. This year Ball is averaging 15.4 PPG, 7.6 APG and pulling down 6.0 RPG, and even though he seems to have Steph Curry range, his lack of a mid range game will be problematic in the NBA as defenses will just sag off him as soon as he gets inside the 3 point line and take away his ability to drive. While Ball wouldn't be a horrible fit with Thomas, he wouldn't be "ideal". His inability to hit mid range jumpers would let teams key in on other Celtics players on the court as soon as he got around the elbow. Fultz is still the better prospect out of the two, and definitely a better fit for what Celtics want to do as a team, especially if Thomas stays around past his contract expiring in 2018.

Last but not least, we have Josh Jackson.Long+Beach+State+v+Kansas+HARjla3LLtel.0.jpg

Jackson, a SF/SG, is a very intriguing prospect. He came into college this season as the projected #1 pick, but concerns about his ability to make jump shots has made his stock drop. Despite his shooting struggles, he's still averaging 16.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 3.0 APG on a good Kansas team that is 23-3 on the season. While his 36% from beyond the arc isn't terrible, his 50% FT is troubling. However, during the month of February, he has averaged 21 PPG, and has knocked down 13 of his 25 (52%) three point attempts, so maybe he is figuring out his shot, and getting more confidence with it. One of Jackson's strengths is his slashing ability, as he is very good with driving to the basket. He also has great court vision, and is an unselfish player overall. Even though the Celtics drafted Jaylen Brown with the 3rd selection last year, if Ainge feels Jackson has franchise altering talent, he should be the pick. Jackson and Brown could theoretically play in lineups together based on their size, but with neither of them being particularly strong shooters, they could have a hard time coexisting, as teams wouldn't have to worry about either of them making a jump shot. Jackson's future really hinges on his ability to fix his jumper, and consistently make shots in the NBA.

Verdict: Markelle Fultz

While Jackson has tantalizing potential, and Ball has deep three point range and great passing ability, the Celtics should ultimately take Fultz if they end up with the 1st pick. He just seems to be the best of both worlds as he has similar potential to Josh Jackson, and while he's not quite on Lonzo Ball's level of passing ability, he's a very good shooter and passer in his own right. He's also far and away the best fit for the Celtics overall, and could be the point guard of the future if the Celtics decide that giving a max contract to a 30 year old Isaiah Thomas is something that they don't want to do. Celtics fans should be very excited about the future, and the possibility of Markelle Fultz wearing green next season is a big part of that.

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