So yeah, it’s not for a while, and the Celtics have the NBA Finals to win first, but it can’t hurt to speculate on what Danny Ainge should do in the NBA Draft on June 2015, now that March Madness is over and college kids are declaring for the draft. Let’s look at some of the team needs.
As of today, the C’s have averaged only 44.3 percent from the field this year, which is good for 20th in the league. This is a shame, since Boston averages the most field goal attempts per game, with 87. If only they could capitalize on that and increase their FG percentage, they would instantly become better.
Also, for the record, this FG percentage was not necessarily made better by Isaiah Thomas coming to town. In his 20 games with the Celtics, Thomas is shooting 42 percent from the field, which is lower than the team average now. Hell of a player, and he’s made the Celtics better overall, but the question remains: How can the Celtics improve on their scoring opportunities and become better on offense?
My answer to that question is this: Sam Dekker.
Dekker came into the national spotlight in this year’s NCAA college basketball tournament. The Sheboygan, Wisconsin native carried the Wisconsin Badgers to the national championship game, only to fall to Duke. The 6’9″ forward made about 64 percent on 2-point field goals this year and averaged 14 points per game playing second fiddle to Naismith Player of the Year Frank Kaminsky. However, Dekker came alive during the Badger’s tournament run, scoring 19 points per game and making ridiculous shot after ridiculous shot.
Maybe this is what the Celtics need: Another contributor on offense. You know how the Celtics like to lose big leads in the fourth quarter (remember the Golden State game)? Maybe that’s where Brad Stevens turns to Dekker. He can provide a little extra offensive firepower and clutchness to help Boston maintain leads late in the game. Not that Thomas can’t do that either, but having two guys who could go off any game can only be beneficial to a team.
There are other ways in which Dekker can help the Celtics next year, too. The Celtics were 27th this year in free throw attempts. On offense, Dekker is an attacker, fearlessly driving to the lane at will. If he can copy this success in the NBA, the Celtics as a whole should be able to generate more easy shots at the charity stripe. Boston is also in the middle of the pack in terms of rebounding with only 43 boards per game. The Celtics usually have Avery Bradley or Evan Turner play small forward, both who are too small for the position. Having a 6’9″ Dekker play small forward could give the C’s a height advantage in that position, helping them to secure more loose balls. Dekker is a scrapper who will fight for any ball he can get his hands on.
As of right now, Dekker is projected to be a mid-round 1st round pick, according to draftexpress.com. The Celtics have the 16th pick in the first round this year, and may be able to land Dekker and have him contribute right away. If Danny Ainge can’t snag Dekker with their first pick, he should look for other scoring options like Jerian Grant from Notre Dame or Devin Booker from Kentucky. Or, the Celtics could use their second first round pick to grab a scorer, and pick up Georgia State’s RJ Hunter, aka the guy who did this.
#GoCeltics
The Beantown Buzz 