Celtics take an 18-year-old in ESPN’s most up-to-date mock draft

Celtics

Ahead Gregory Jackson II led South Carolina in scoring as a freshman.

South Carolina forward Gregory Jackson II (23) is defended by Alabama guard Jahvon Quinerly (5) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game.
Gregory “G.G.” Jackson II scored 15.4 factors per recreation for South Carolina this season. AP Picture/Sean Rayford

In ESPN’s most up-to-date mock draft posted Wednesday, the Celtics have been predicted to take the youngest participant on this 12 months’s NBA Draft.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jason Woo have Boston taking South Carolina’s Gregory Jackson II at No. 35 subsequent Thursday.

Jackson, who goes by G.G., led the Gamecocks in scoring this 12 months as a freshman. What’s much more spectacular is that Jackson solely turned 18 final December.

The 6-foot-9-inch ahead led his group in factors (15.4), rebounds (5.9), and blocks per recreation (0.8).

His head coach Lamont Paris gave the No. 1 ranked energy ahead in his class the keys to the offense.

Over his 32 video games, Jackson averaged 14.4 photographs per recreation, practically three greater than every other Gamecock.

The difficulty for the South Carolina native is that he lacked effectivity and ball management.

Jackson’s 38.4 % discipline objective proportion ranked within the backside half of his group, and he led his squad with 2.7 turnovers per recreation. He averaged simply 0.8 assists per recreation final 12 months.

The excellent news for the Celtics, in the event that they select to draft him, is that Jackson has loads of time to develop.

He has already proven that he can match into their offense after taking 5.3 threes per recreation final season. He would additionally add one other cell, prolonged physique to a protection that appears to like them.

The No. 35 decide is the one one which Boston at present holds on this 12 months’s draft. Boston acquired the decide, which was initially Portland’s, within the 2021 commerce with Atlanta and Sacramento the place the Celtics moved Tristan Thompson.

Boston has used a second spherical decide in every of the final 4 drafts, taking Tremont Waters in 2019, Yam Madar in 2020, Juhann Begarin in 2021, and JD Davison final 12 months.

No. 35 is the best second spherical choice the Celtics have had since they took Deyonta Davis at No. 31 in 2016.