The offseason for the NBA is in full swing and the Boston Celtics are making moves.  With the roster still clearly in transition I really don’t want to talk about the trades yet as there are still more to come and I don’t want to take the time to write about guys who will not be on the team next season.  I will get into that stuff at a later date.  But the draft is past us now and the picks are the picks so without further ado or gilding the lily, here are my thoughts on the 2025 draft picks of the Boston Celtics.   

Now, I do not watch college basketball (except for the URI Rams) and I really don’t watch European basketball.  Thus, all of my thoughts are coming from pre and post draft scouting reports and reviews and some highlight videos.  Obviously, you can make anyone look like a sure-fire Hall of Famer with a highlight video so those need to be taken with a grain of salt.  And as with any draft, no one really knows if any of the draftees will be good or not. And no one will know for sure for a couple of years.  But as they say, we have a show to do today.  So let’s get to it. 

Hugo Gonzalez—6’6” wing—First things first, as he is Spanish, his name is pronounced “OOgo”, not “Hugo”.  With that out of the way, Hugo is a very interesting prospect.  The 19-year-old played for Real Madrid last season and has been in their system since he was 10 years old.  He did not play a ton last year as the team was stacked.  They actually won their championship the night Hugo was drafted.  Being a role player for a great team will actually be a very good thing for Hugo, and the Celtics.  American players who get drafted in the first round have always been the best player on their team.  They have always been the go-to guy.  They have always the focus point.  That is not the case for Hugo.  Gonzales had to earn minutes.  He has had to learn to play off the ball.  Learn to play off of the bigger stars.  This will not only help him adjust to his role on the Celtics, at least to start his career, but it also gave him skills the Celtics need in a player.  He also got to play and practice with grown men while he was on Real Madrid.  Not college kids.  Not players he could out physical or out athletic.  Grown ass men like he will be playing against in the NBA.  That should give him a step up on the physicality of the NBA compared to college players.   

And it’s not like he wasn’t good enough to come over and play college basketball.  He had big money offers from multiple colleges to come and play last year (perfectly legal now) but he turned them down to stay in Spain.  Had he come over, he most likely would have been a top ten pick. Staying over seas and not getting a ton of playing time or being the focal point of the team cost him in the draft and will hopefully be a blessing for the Celtics.     

Whenever anyone talks about Hugo, they always mention the cutting.  This is going to be a skill he will utilize the most in Green.  Getting to the hoop while teams are focused on the Jays will give him plenty of opportunities to produce.  It will also open things up for the man with the ball as defenses have to account for him.   His hustle and energy will allow him to make plays on both sides of the court.  His rebounding will be a big plus for the team especially as they don’t have a lot of Bigs right now.  He isn’t the best shooter but shooting is something that you can learn to do.  Just look at what Al Horford did in his career.  The first seven years he took a combined 29 threes.  Last year he made 114 of them.  And that wasn’t even his career high.  So they can teach him to shoot.  Brad Stevens even mentioned it at one of his pressers.  And if there is one thing the Celtics already have, it’s shooters.  So it’s not like it’s a glaring need.     

Amari Williams—7’0” center—Williams is 23 years old after playing 5 years of college hoops, his last for Kentucky.  He put up 10.9 pts, 8.5 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, and 3.2 assists per game for the Wild Cats.  The 3.2 assists really stick out for a big man.   I have to say I kind of have high hopes for this kid.  Not that he is the next Olajuwon or anything (I really date myself always using Harkeem as my go to dominate center).  But I think he can be the next Luke Kornet.  And that would be awesome.  (I’ll get into how big a loss Kornet is down the road).  He isn’t as tall as Kornet but he has a 7’6” wing span.  He’s not a shooter, at all, but he shoots a high percentage which must mean he is good around the basket.  He is a good passer like Kornet is and he seems to be able to protect the rim as he was defensive player of the year 3 times while playing for Drexel.   His rebounding seems solid as well, he led the Wild Cats in boards last year.  Defense is going to be the issue for Williams as he isn’t particularly athletic.  Switching on the perimeter might be a problem as he is more suited for drop coverage.  If he can’t defend, he won’t play for the Cs.  But then Kornet got by with his limited athleticism so hopefully Williams can figure it out on the defensive end as well.  As I mentioned, as constituted the Celtics don’t have a lot of big guys on the roster.  Williams can easily earn himself minutes if he can utilize his skills the way Kornet did his.  Plus he’s from Nottingham and I want to be able to make Robin Hood references for the next 10 years or so. 

Max Shulga—6’4” guard—Shulga, who is also 23, played at VCU last year and was A10 player of the year.  Yet, as a URI fan, I have no idea who he is.  Shows you how little I really follow college basketball.  But what I can tell from reading about him and watching highlights is that he is a shooter.  He shot 40% on catch and shoot threes and 39% over all from beyond the arc.  So he should fit right in.  He’s not athletic but he seems to be crafty in getting his shot off in the mid range and at the rim.  How effective he will be in the NBA with that is to be seen.  He definitely has corner three off the drive and kick potential.  Now a days in the NBA and especially for the Celtics, you can never have enough shooting. If this kid can continue to be a knock down shooter at the next level, I am sure the Cs will find minutes for him at some point.

Overall, I like the Celtics draft class.  Considering where they were picking, I think they did a good job.  I really like Hugo and think he has a lot of potential to be a Derrick White type player at the very least.  Williams has potential as a rotational big and Shulga should at least be able to stand in the corner and hit threes.  I can’t wait to see these guys play in the Summer League to see for myself what they are all about.  I also can’t wait to see Scheierman play as well.  After getting a season in the NBA under his belt, and dominating in Maine, he should look very good playing against first year guys and his confidence should be very high.  He and Hugo could be battling for minutes come next season so he certainly can’t rest on his laurels.  Aside from that, I don’t know any of the other players on the Summer League team but hopefully one or two will stand out and give us something to talk about.