CelticsBlog High Five with bloggers (Part 4) - The 5th pick

Turning our blogger attention to the draft.  A tough question:

If the Celtics pick 5th, who would you like the Celtics to draft (and why)?  This assumes no trade and Wiggins, Parker, Embiid, and Exum are off the board.

John Karalis - Red's Army

Ugh.

Well, I'm not a fan of Julius Randle. I just really question if he can power his way to productivity the way he did at Kentucky. And while Aaron Gordon is exciting, I really question how he fits at the next level. He's going to have to play a lot more 3, but he doesn't have a 3's game. That might bring us to Noah Vonleh. I think 5's a bit high for a guy with no real offensive game, but a legit big (how many 6' 8" guys do we really need?) that rebounds and defends is tantalizing. If we HAD to make that pick, I'll go with Vonleh and cross my fingers.

Kevin O'Connor - CelticsBlog

This is really difficult because it depends on the other moves the Celtics make, but I'd really like to see them take a look at Aaron Gordon or Dario Saric in the 5th spot (assuming there is no option for a trade down). As I've written before, I think Gordon will be a lockdown defender but I also really like his potential on the offensive end. And Saric is rapidly rising up my board. He is twice as good now as he was last year (when I was iffy on him), and I'm convinced that he's deserving as a top 10 pick. He could potentially be the go-to option that the Celtics need, as well as bringing supportive defense. I think there is a strong possibility that both Gordon and Saric could be the players people say this about: "How did that team take that guy over Gordon or Saric? What a bunch of idiots!" I could be totally wrong about both of them, but if Parker, Wiggins, Embiid, and Exum, are off the board, then I think Gordon and Saric may be the best choices for the Celtics.

Nick Gelso - CLNS Radio

Though we have NCAA coverage on CLNS Radio, I'm not the dude that's blogging about it. I've never been a real college hoops fan and thus, I've always shied away from those topics as a blogger/podcaster.

That said, I'll take the safe root here and say, Aaron Gordon. He's a defensive-minded swing. He can play offensively but needs some refinement on that end of the court. Who better to tutor Gordon in the NBA than Brad Stevens?

Aaron Gordon.

Bill Sy - CelticsBlog

The team's biggest needs right now are a defensive big and another playmaker on the wing. If you look at a lot of mock drafts right now, #5 is probably where you're going to have to draft for defense and #17 might be a best available situation. Personally, I like the kid Vonleh. I'd like him a little more if he was a little taller, but he proved to be a banger in the Big Ten at 6'10 with his 7'4 wingspan and he's only 18. Some might say that, like Olynyk, he's a bit of a tweener, but stylistically, he's all center.

I've seen a few mocks with Marcus Smart as a potential candidate for the C's, but there are enough Marcus Smart-like players in the teens that I'd rather take a chance on players like Kyle Anderson, Tyler Ennis, and Gary Harris.