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We polled CelticsBlog staffers to give their opinions on what they think the Celtics’ personal big board might look like, asking everyone to pretend they are Danny Ainge. Everyone logged out of their Janos burner accounts gave their best impressions and made their picks. We compiled the results into one single big board, which we will be updating each day between now and the draft.
Alex Kungu and I (Sam Sheehan) will be discussing the picks, and what we might think the implications and thinking might be with each selection, including some additional thoughts from other CelticsBlog staffers.
With #27 approaching, the next seven players could fall in the Celtics range. Here’s #24:
#24 Jerome Robinson
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Sam Sheehan: We’ll start today with Jerome Robinson, a ball-handler out of Boston College who served as the point guard in school, but projects to more of an off-ball role in the pros. Robinson is big and can find all kinds of different ways to score, and he served as the engine for his team’s offense in college. He’s a good spot up shooter and has excellent size for the guard positions. Although he’s a pretty average athlete, he projects as a player that has the requisite versatility that so many teams are looking for. I like that he’s a good passer, and that he can initiate other actions when he’s on the floor with the Celtics’ default point guard. There are some other guys in this area that I’m high on, but I really think Robinson could be a solid pick.
Alex Kungu: Robinson has reportedly been killing his workouts and is one of the guys who got a green room workout invite. People have been asking “who’s this years Donovan Mitchell” and I think Robinson is a candidate. He’s a 3-level scorer who can create for himself or play off-ball, he can make plays out of the PnR, and is very good at deceleration. The wingspan is probably going to hold him back in terms of versatility, but I think his offense will more than make up for it. He profiles pretty nicely as a Jamal Murray type. How confident teams are in his ball-handling and PG feel will probably be the x-factor for where they have him on their board.
SS: I think Jamal Murray is a good comp, though I think Murray had more effortless range to his shooting coming out of school. My concerns for Robinson are “can he learn the off-ball defense he’ll need as a projected wing” and “can he maintain his at-rim shooting percentages at the next level?”. I would be surprised if Robinson totally failed, partly because his shooting is so good but I also think that proving he could do that off of screens and set actions would really help him prove he can stick in the league. Do you see the defense being a problem long term?
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AK: I’m torn, on one hand we’ve seen super smart players be able to figure it and get to a point where they’re passable and don’t substantially diminish their teams overall defense. I think Robinson can get to that point because he’s a guy who understands spacing, anticipation, and team schemes well, but it’d be presumptive to assume that his physical limitations wouldn’t be exposed matchups. Playing with a Celtics roster that could cover his limitations but limit his ceiling a bit could actually be beneficial for him.
SS: I’ve kind of been all over the place with point guards and where I think they fit into the Celtics’ plans. I think Robinson is a clear exception because he does have that wing size and his shooting would allow him to credibly hide off the ball. If push came to shove, I think the Celtics have enough versatile defenders that they could hide him a bit, but that’s not exactly what you are looking for either. He’s such a weird blend of credible strengths and weaknesses that I can’t quite puzzle it out. I think he’d be a solid pick, but he wouldn’t be my first choice.
AK: There were so many times this year where the C’s would look towards the end of their rotation for a guy who could simply put the ball in the basket. Maybe it’s still just Game 7 of the ECF stuck in my head but I can’t help but think it’s players like Robinson who you want at the of your bench when you’re competing for a title. I think Boston would be ecstatic to get that type of shotmaking ability at 27.
Tomorrow, we’ll unveil our 27th through 30th picks as part of our lead up to what could be a very interesting draft night for the Celtics.