The offseason in the NBA isn’t really an offseason at all. We’re a little more than a week removed from the Warriors championship parade and already have our sights set on the NBA Draft tonight. The Celtics are in an interesting position in this top-heavy draft class. With just one pick (#27 overall), they can either sit on their hands and take someone there, or they can use their future draft capital to take one of the top 5 guys in a 5-man draft.

One of the biggest themes of this piece is going to be patience. There isn’t a clear, generational guy in this draft who everyone’s clamoring over. Even Arizona’s DeAndre Ayton isn’t a consensus #1 overall at this point. If Boston does indeed trade up, I do believe their best course of action is to ease whoever they take into the regular rotation. Whoever’s going to be around where the Celtics will be trading up (reportedly either #4 or #5 overall) is going to be a bit more of a project than most Boston prospects. Guys like Mo Bamba, Michael Porter Jr., and Luka Doncic all have very high upside, but I personally don’t believe they will succeed without being in the proper system and without being slowly integrated and acclimated to the NBA’s speed and physicality.

If Boston fails to trade up into the lottery, there’s a bevy of viable role players projected to fall to them. While these players aren’t cut from the same cloth as a Bamba or a Bridges, they can still be a big asset and needed depth for a contending Celtics team in 2018.

Without further ado, let’s take the dive into Boston’s options tonight.

If they move up into the Top 5:

Mo Bamba, Texas

If the Celtics do trade up, this is who I want them trading up for. The Texas center has a 7’9″ wingspan and a 9’6″ standing reach. That alone should help you get a picture as to why he should be a Celtics. We remember just how bad Boston was at rebounding in 2016. While that did improve in 2017, there was no transcendental big snatching up boards for the C’s. Bamba is a presence down near the glass on both ends, averaging 10.8 rpg and 3.5 bpg against Power Conference teams (22 game sample).

Bamba would also be the first Celtic top draft pick to not feel pressured to start. With Horford, Marcus Morris, and Daniel Theis all under contract, there wouldn’t be an immediate need to throw Bamba to the wolves early in his rookie season. One of his biggest weaknesses Bamba has against him is just how frail he is. While we can’t expect a Joel Embiid-level transformation…

…we can certainly see Bamba spending this season growing into his body and packing on muscle.

IF Boston does trade up for him and IF he’s able to pack on some muscle, the Celtics home-grown young core now becomes Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Mo Bamba. That Big Three is going to be a future force to be reckoned with, and that’s what gets me excited about the prospect of trading up.

Luka Doncic, Real Madrid International

Ahh, the biggest question mark of this draft. Not a single analyst, GM, or casual fan can seem to agree on what Doncic is going to be in the NBA. Doncic was the MVP of EuroLeague as a 19-year-old and was able to post a 14.3/8.1/3.6 average throughout the FIBA EuroLeague tournament.

While his tape is undeniably pretty sexy, there’s no real ability for anyone to gauge just how much Doncic was really challenged overseas. Calling the EuroLeague the second-best basketball league in the world is disingenuous. The gap between the NBA and EuroLeague are like comparing the NFL to the CFL or the NHL to the OHL. Of course there are going to be athletes there, but the game is overall just slower and less challenging than even high-level NCAA ball. In the last five years, Doncic’s MVP award joins the likes of Sergio Llull, Nando de Colo,Nemanja Bjelica, and Sergio Rodriguez. If you don’t know who those guys are, neither does anyone else. The only recognizable names among the last decade of EuroLeague MVPs are Milos Teodosic (’10) and Andrei Kirilenko (’12), who aren’t exactly Westbrook and Curry.

There’s no denying that Luka Doncic at least has a skillset that could translate to the NBA, there’s just the question of whether or not that skillset needs time to acclimate to the speed and physicality of the NBA. Nobody’s going to gauge that at a rookie workout where Doncic is dribbling circles around folding chairs. In the right situation, Doncic could flourish into a big NBA talent. Any teams currently at #3-#5 looking to start him immediately are not going to get great production out of him. Boston may be the right destination

If they stay at #27:

Bruce Brown, Miami

Brown’s become the heavy favorite for the Celtics if they stay at 27 for multiple reasons. First, he fits the mold of previous Celtics draft picks. Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier, and Marcus Smart all had two workouts with the Celtics. Tatum only had one workout, however it was much longer than average, As of the day of the draft, Brown has now had two workouts with Boston.

While this alone doesn’t make Brown a lock for Boston, stop me if you’ve heard this description before: a very strong, powerful two-way guard that can guard the 1 through 4. Brown perfectly fits the mold of a Marcus Smart, Semi Ojeleye type. On DraftExpress, the first descriptors used for Brown are “shredded frame,” “long arms,” and “high motor,” which is very reminiscent of the now-famous “thick, jacked frame” used to describe Ojeleye. Brown’s highlight tape isn’t solely big dunks and deep threes. Brown has some phenomenal defensive efforts on his tapes that would meld perfectly with the Celtics’ style of play. He eventually became one of the most integral members to Miami’s basketball team last season.

Despite the fact that he’s definitely not the most skilled player, his physicality and heart should make up for that in the early stages. Anyone taken this late is going to be a role player to start out. Brown’s ceiling, however, does seem to be pretty high. And with the depth on this Celtics roster, nobody should feel pressured to rush him into the rotation. He can hone his game and continue the improvement he began in Miami while working under Kyrie Irving, Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart, and Jaylen Brown.

Plus, he’s a Boston native. Gotta love a good homecoming story.

Josh Okogie, Georgia Tech

Okogie is a “do-it-all guard” who can make plays on both side of the court. A lot of the description used for Brown can also be used for fellow ACC player Josh Okogie. He’s got a 7’0″ wingspan while standing at 6’3″ (eat your heart out Mo Bamba) which would make him the perfect multi-positional defender for the Celtics. He has an incredible ability to drive through the lane in order to get to the basket and also has a decent shot to boot. He’s certainly going to be an asset in the NBA, and could certainly be a contributor on this Boston roster.

Jacob Evans, Cincinatti

Finally, we break away from the two-way physical guard. Jacob Evans is a great spot-up scorer and has the ability to create his own shots. At the NCAA level, he was getting quick releases off and stepping into NBA-distance 3-pointers. Evans also has the athleticism to cut and drive to the hoop. He’d be a great rotational asset who could eventually evolve into a great shooter for the Celtics.

One of the things that needs to be ironed out with Evans is his level of consistency. While Cincinatti fans saw flashes of real greatness and potential all season, he wasn’t able to generate consistency. Streaky shooting and defensive lapses are why he sits as a high-end 2nd rounder on most big boards. But don’t write him off because of that distinction: a few years as a deep-bench role player could help iron out the inconsistencies in his game.

Troy Brown, Oregon

Troy Brown is a bit of a return to the Boston Swiss Army mold. Brown has great measuravles with a 6’11’ wingspan at 6’6″, which gives him the length to defend the 3 position. He’s incredibly unselfish and was able to facilitate offense for Oregon this past season. He has great vision and is able to read the floor in order to thread the ball through to the open man. He’s also a competent defender and has a nice stroke to his shot.

One of his biggest knocks against him, however, is his lack of athelticism. He just doesn’t have the same burst off his first step that we’ve seen from other guys on this list. This lack of athleticism permeates to other parts of his game. He sometimes has trouble getting past defenders and can get overpowered in the post. The upside here, however, is that he’s got youth on his side, turning 20 in July.

Grayson Allen, Duke

Screw it, let’s play Devil’s Advocate here. I don’t think a single NBA fan base really wants to have Grayson Allen on their team. I mean, look at his history. He’s been one of the most hated men in the NCAA for multiple years in a row. He’s tripped, flopped, and whined his way into basketball infamy before he even has a chance to prove himself on an NBA court.

But here’s the thing. Despite all that, he’s not awful. Like at basketball. If you can look past all the negatives–really squint past and try and block it all out–he does some things on the court that are pretty good. He’s able to shoot from the perimeter and can efficiently cut to the basket. He’s got a great shot and has the ability to catch and shoot in rhythm. He’s got NBA range on his threes. He’s shown improvement every year he’s been at Duke, improving different weaker facets of his game. He’s athletic and can create space from himself to get a shot off. He’s got massive hands (shout out to Josh Allen) and isn’t an absolute liability defensively.  He’s got good court vision and has really high Basketball IQ. He’s got the ability to be pretty good at the next level in some capacity. He won’t be a star, but he’ll be pretty darn good by the looks of it.

If you can stomach all the negativity surrounding Grayson, he wouldn’t be the worst addition to this team. He’s got a lot of growing up to do, but he could be an asset someday for Boston.

Melvin Frazier, Tulane

You may not expect much out of the powerhouse that is Tulane Basketball, but Melvin Frazier’s been able to make a name for himself down in New Orleans. He’s been described as a “physical specimen” on the court that seems to pass the eye test for a lot of people. He’s a great defensive player who covers a lot of the court. Frazier’s probably the biggest project that Boston would be taking on in this draft. Think Guerschon Yabusele without all the charm, love, and memes. He has the physicality and has shown flashes of greatness,  but needs to be very ironed out. He’s kind of a ghost on the offensive end and shows mental lapses on defense. However, a 38% 3-point average and some great defensive highlights prove that Frazier could one day turn into a good role guy to plug into the rotation.

Jalen Brunson, Villanova

There was a reason why Jalen Brunson won 2018 Naismith Player of the Year. Brunson is a leader and an asset to any team he plays for. As a point guard, he’s got great vision and can read the court. He averaged 8.8 apg for his career at Villanova. He’s got great presence on the court, can play at NBA tempo, and plays within his means. He’s a facilitator who can make it work. While he doesn’t have the physical tools to shine at the NBA level, he’s got all the intangibles the Celtics look for in their players. On Sports Illustrated’s 2018 Draft Big Board, Brunson is listed at #28 overall. If he’s able to fall into the Celtics lap, I certainly wouldn’t hate that. Especially with the potential of losing Terry Rozier to free agency next year, Brunson could work alongside Kyrie and Terry this season, then step into a second-string PG role next year.