Here’s Everyone the Celtics Reportedly Worked Out Ahead of the 2018 NBA Draft
By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
The Boston Celtics work out plenty of prospects every spring, and 2018 is no exception. Thanks to some great reporting from around the league, there’s a long list of players who reportedly held workouts with the C’s ahead of the 2018 NBA Draft.
Danny Ainge and the Celtics did their due diligence at the Combine and interviewed a handful of prospects projected to go in the top-10 in Thursday’s draft, according to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. But they hold only the 27th overall pick as of the time of this writing, so it’s much more likely that they end up drafting one of the 17 (at least) players they reportedly worked out. The list indicates that the Celtics could be looking at longer-term options for guard depth, considering the uncertain futures of Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier – but there are some forwards mixed in as well.
Celtics director of player personnel Austin Ainge previously told MassLive that the C’s have narrowed their options for the 27th pick down to about 10 players, including controversial Duke guard Grayson Allen. The majority of the prospects who worked out for them, however, are likely to fall into the second round or go undrafted, and would generally be considered reaches at No. 27.
Below is a quick-hit list of players reported to have worked out, or planned workouts, with the Celtics, along with the sources in parentheses.
Complete List: Celtics 2018 Pre-Draft Workouts
— Kevin Huerter, Guard, Maryland (Washington Post)
— Donte DiVincenzo, Guard, Villanova (@AdamZagoria)
— Josh Okogie, Guard, Georgia Tech (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
— Grayson Allen, Guard, Duke (MassLive)
— Jalen Brunson, Guard, Villanova (@ScottAgness)
— Omari Spellman, Forward, Villanova (@PompeyOnSixers)
— Kenrich Williams, Guard/Forward, TCU (@Tom_NBA)
— Billy Preston, Forward, Igokea [Bosnian League] (MassLive)
— Allonzo Trier, Guard, Arizona (Arizona Daily Star)
— Dakota Mathias, Guard, Purdue (@AdamZagoria)
— Deng Adel, Forward, Louisville (@AdamHimmelsbach)
— Jeffrey Carroll, Guard, Oklahoma State (@AdamHimmelsbach)
— Desi Rodriguez, Guard, Seton Hall (@NYPost_Brazille)
— Elijah Bryant, Guard, BYU (Deseret News)
— J.P. Macura, Guard, Xavier (@DWolfsonKSTP)
— Jordan Barnett, Forward, Missouri (@AdamZagoria)
— Theo Pinson, Forward, North Carolina (@TateFrazier)
If the Celtics stand pat with the 27th pick, do not be surprised if you hear one of the above names called on Thursday.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.
