Celtics Rundown: A Deep Dive into Boston’s Draft Class with Ersin Demir
Welcome to the Celtics Rundown live stream. I’m your host Bobby Kravitzky and today I am excited to welcome back Airson Demar. He joined us for a deep dive previewing the NBA draft. Now he’s here to drop knowledge about Boston’s three picks. Arison, thanks for taking the time to join us today. Hey Bobby, thanks for inviting me again, man. It’s an honor to cover the draft and let’s talk Celtics draft picks, man. Come on. I mean, look, you not many people become a GFOP, good friend of the program this quickly. So clearly, and for those who turned in for the draft preview, they’ll vouch for this air that you absolutely knocked that out of the park. It was great to have your knowledge and expertise then, even better now when we know who’s coming to Boston, who’s already here. We’re going to talk about the summer league training camp that’s underway and the notes and nuggets from that as we do this deep dive into the Celtics three selections. But before we get started, I want to give a PSA. Arison has an exceptional and informative newsletter. You can find it at emar NBA on Substack. That’s ed. Be sure to subscribe. The link is in the bio here over on the YouTube video. Be sure to subscribe once again. He does a great work and you will enjoy reading it and interacting with the community that he’s cultivated over there on Substack. Okay, Eric said, now let’s get into the show. Let’s get into talking. Absolutely, man. Welldeserved. Everyone subscribe, check out, and support his Substack. We start at the top of course with the first round pick. Uh when it comes to Hugo Gonzalez, Erson, let’s start with just your overall evaluation of the player Boston went with at pick 28. I’m going to go a little bit in depth because I like his journey to the NBA. That makes a lot of sense. I think his journey to the NBA is one of the reasons why Boston took him. If I look at Hugo Gonzalez, let’s say four years ago, he was physically much stronger than his competition. He was, you know, physically miles ahead of the rest and he was one of Spain’s better uh better prospects and he dominated with his aggressiveness, with his toughness. That’s the first part of his game and the second one is skill but his toughness that that one always prevailed. But then a few years later the rest catched up. So physically he was not really as dominant as he was in earlier years and he had to find other ways to win and his way was to uh improve defensively. You know recognizing rotations, recognizing angles, which plays are being run by the opponent, how is he in the point of attack? He’s more so that, you know, does it all guard. I think he’s more of a guard than he’s true wing. Of course, it’s up to Boston how they will use him, but if I look how his role scales up to the NBA, his time at Real Madrid made too much sense. He’s one of those guys that wouldn’t benefit from going to college basketball because he’s already in a pro setting and his game is built on a limited role, not to have a big role. That’s not realistic. And that’s why he sticked at Real Madrid because Real Madrid is throwing, you know, millions of euros. They have one of the highest budgets in Europe and they are not keen on letting young guys play. Of course, they need depth, especially for their domestic league and that’s why he found the most opportunity to play. But one of the reasons why he saw the court is his rotations, how he set plays off of other guys. It makes too much sense. The easy thing is he’s a great basketball player, but the long-term potential is clearly there with Hugo Gonzalez, but his best skill is to play as a guard, more as a creator. I think he’s an excellent slasher. He has decent handles that needs improvement, but he’s tough and he’s great footwork, incredible footwork. He recognizes angles so easily and he’s, you know, struggling to consistently execute his reads and he should be less selfish score. Selfish is a bad word, but he is adapting from how he was playing at the Utrex to how he’s playing now. And his development there led to him gradually earning more minutes at Real Madrid. I think Boston has a potential starter on their hands, but it might take one or two years. I think he’s going to play spot minutes, especially this season with Tatum out. That’s the most vital thing for him. He has to play immediately to make it have make it make sense because he he’s too good to be in the G-League. He’s not like JD Davidson. That guy needed those reps. But Hooko is ready to play, ready to contribute. And I think he’s going to take over in that point of attack defense that you had from Drew Holiday, for example. That’s the type of role that I would give him, especially on the defensive end. He’s good in the pick and roll. He’s good, you know, defending away in the second line because of how well he reads the floor, reach angles. He’s great at his rotations and in a switch heavy NBA game, that’s the first thing you need. Of course, I’m not going to say that the Boston Celtics got a lottery pick because that’s really expecting a lot of guys, but there’s a very, very solid role player at worst, man. I like this pick a lot, especially for the Celtics. He had to go to a team that’s competing that made the most sense for him, and he got it. Yeah, I think he’s a great fit. I think he’s going to be a staple of the rotation. He’s coming in with, you look at the roster right now and it’s got Derek White and Peyton Pritchard and I agree more guard than Wayne for sure, but there’s minutes within that sphere that’s going to Jaylen Brown for example. So, I don’t see Hugo Gonzalez cracking the starting lineup. But again, I see him being a fixture from that second unit. I don’t think he’ll be in what they call the stay ready group, the extended rotation. I think he’s going to be in the primary rotation, probably in the top eight. I I definitely see u a path and a clear role for him right out of the gates. And offensively, we can start there, Ern. Something that really impressed me is that he’s 19 going against grown men on one of basketball’s highest levels. And you mentioned that physicality. I mean, he is shoulder checkcking dudes and moving them out of the way. and creating separation. He’s got these long strides when he’s coming downhill. And he’s shifty with the ball. So, he’s got the great footwork, these long strides, and the physicality and the trust in the muscle that he’s going to create that space that he needs to then do whatever he’s looking to accomplish on a given play. To be able to do that against that level of competition at 19, it’s really impressive. Yeah, 100%, man. He’s great at recognizing these angles because he’s tough and he’s aggressive in creating them. He’s not he’s not an excellent athlete. He doesn’t rely on athleticism. He relies on his footwork, his core strength. I think his core strength is one of the underrated things in his profile because he’s always in balance because of how well he pivots. His last step is incredible, man. He’s just one of those guys if you give him give him the the ball, he’s going to score 30. But is it the 30 that you want? And the NBA is not the 30 that you want. But he’s that type of guy that the Boston Celtics want because they want to shoot 80 threes a game. That’s if it’s possible they shoot 100 threes. And if he’s slashing downhill, he’s drawing that help defender. That’s one of the main advantages. They’re buying a lowmaintenance advantage creator. That’s how I like to summarize it. With enough long-term potential there to give him more on ball reps. But the other side of the coin in this game is the lack of a consistent three ball. And you know in in Europe the spacing is different from the NBA. But Real Madrid is in a in a different category because they are so good at you know how they execute plays that they should be having multiple effective three-point shooters on the floor. And Hookah was never consistent. But at a young age that’s not that’s not an issue. You can learn that in Boston. It’s not to say that it’s easy to develop someone in a great shooter, but he’s had the opportunity to shoot and grow into a volume shooter. And for his gravity in his slashing, that’s a must because otherwise it’s easy to guard him. He can’t power himself through the rim when he’s on the perimeter, you know, where people are trying to chase him off the line. That’s not that’s not really how he should be used. And that’s really helping any offensive rating in the league, you know, and especially how Boston focuses on improving the margins for error. And with these young guys, that’s throw away quote unquote this margin for error because he has to play through mistakes. But I think he has to the skill to do it. But the most vital thing is, is he a respectable three-point shooter at the next level? I think that’s the that’s the swing skill for him to see a lot quite a lot of minutes or spot minutes. Yeah, that’s going to set his ceiling and certainly be a huge part in determining where that ultimately clocks in. And it’s funny because excuse me, I I spoke to Hugo today about what’s been the biggest adjustment for him as he acclimates coming over from Real Madrid to the Celtics and what’s now being asked of him in Boston. and he immediately pointed to the three-point line and getting used to it being further back and making sure that his toes aren’t on the white and getting comfortable with that and needing to extend his range now. So, it’s going to be interesting to see how that goes, what it looks like in summer league. I think that he needs to not only refine his mechanics as a shooter, but speed up his release. I will also say that I think it’s a positive that I saw him after training camp today working on his shot with Baylor Shyman and Max Schulga. Two guys that can fill it up from beyond the ark. So to have that and if I had to guess that’s been the case consistently throughout training camp and since Hugo arrived not that long ago, I think that is a very positive in an iron sharpens iron and he’s not afraid to ask questions. So, I think that those guys along with the coaching staff are probably putting in some important work to again fine-tune who he is as a shooter. No, we’re not upset, man. And that’s why I tried to mention the spacing thing because the three-point line in NBA is tough, especially for non-g good shooters. If you come off from Europe and you’re not a good shooter, you’re going to struggle, you know, adjusting. And that makes a lot of sense, you know, and it’s good for him that he’s keeping his head down, working hard to improve. But I think that’s the mindset that you buy with these Spanish players because if you look at how Spain develops players, if you look at their teams don’t never have a superstar except the Casol brothers maybe, but they’re not playing anymore. But what they do is let’s say the the national team of Spain senior team, they play in the same system on every youth level. So under 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. So this guy is playing in a certain system for basically his entire basketball life. And that develops him to grow into a comfort zone of how he how he should play. And one of the things that Spain does well is they run quite some sophisticated plays. And that’s what the Celtics try to do as well. So he’s one of those guys that can adapt early, can earn minutes early, especially how he’s eager to learn. And that’s one of the things that’s a common denominator, you know, with these especially Spanish players because they are a team first type of nation. They don’t really put the ball in a certain guy’s hands and say go get me a bucket. That’s not how they play because they don’t have the athleticism for it. So they rely on their skill and I rely on in their basketball decision making. And Hugo is the main example because he has scaled his role down from being the guy on this team because he was much stronger to now he has to find other ways to win. And that second part is that’s how you stick in the NBA. So that’s why I’m confident even if his three-point shot isn’t efficient, he will find other ways to to touch the floor, you know, to see minutes. 100%. It reminds me a little bit of we had a similar sentiment when we were discussing Adu theo, right? That hey, maybe the shot doesn’t come around, but with his motor and the impact he can make in other ways, there’s a path to playing time and and being a positive contributor to a team. So we’ll see what he does. We’ll see what happens with Hugo. And something that the Celtics have raved about with Gonzalez that I he clearly cultivated in his time in Spain. So much of cutting is about feel and he hasn’t and I think it’s natural, but with him it got conditioned over time being in that program for essentially his whole life. And so I mean that’s something that Brad Stevens after the draft was just raving about his impact and again his feel the plays that he can make for them when he comes off the ball because I I’m with you. I think he’s a secondary creator but when he doesn’t have it it’s not just stand here and wait to get it. It’s being able to make plays and also he’ll generate second chances that way. You saw it when he got minutes with Real Madrid. So, I’m very excited to see, especially if it shows up in summer league right out of the gates, what Hugo Gonzalez is able to do as a cutter. No, 100% man. What I like is he’s always focusing on attacking footwork, you know, how he’s how is some because they play motion based just like in the NBA. So, he’s just relying on okay, how does the other play player react to movement around him? And if he sees, okay, maybe someone is not balancing out properly, he will attack. Just actively moving, but just purposeful, not just, yeah, running around like crazy and then waiting for the ball. But he’s, you know, especially with how Spain likes to use these motion plays, you know, multiple screeners and he’s tough and strong. I think he will play play as a screener in the NBA as well. not to play a screen inside paint against fives or something, but he will be an additional screener if they want to play double stack or something like that because he’s not the type of guy that will run off screens and shoot, but he will be type of guy that puts a guy like you mentioned, Max Schugle, for example, in in a position to shoot. I think he’s one of those, yeah, they call the Swiss Army knife. You have all these multiple buzzwords for it, but just a guy that makes guys around him better and that will feast off a few field goal attempts per game. I think if they put the ball in his hands, that’s not the way to use him, man. But exactly as you said, cutting and just launching help defense, try to create confusion, force rotations, and let’s see where it brings him because he, what I like about him, he has excellent touch around the rim because of how well he sets his feet and how his core strength is helping him to keep in balance. Of course, he’s not going to knock a fiveman out of position and finish in his face. That’s not really realistic. But he’s good at recognizing these angles and using his feet to balance himself out before the finish. I think that’s helping him to be such an effective player. But if he wants to succeed in the NBA, those are the the areas that he can improve his margin for error because he’s he has reliable touch. But if you don’t have a three-point shot reliably, yeah, it’s going to be tough. So that’s why the three-point shots will always prevail, especially in Boston now because how the way that they play because they want to shoot so many trees in the game. So that you’re not going to adapt from that and give him play finishing opportunities. But if he can draw that and make the extra pass, that’s excellent. I think that’s the type of thing that the Boston Celtics were trying to find this draft and they got it. Absolutely. And then the last part offensively that I want to touch on with Yugo is I I’m It’s interesting because in a slow it down halfcourt type of a a picture, he’s not really the guy I want bringing the ball up the floor, especially if there’s pressure. But in transition, he gives this team a pace pushing ball handler that they desperately need. They’ve talked about they need to operate at a faster tempo, more consistently. They hadn’t really done that before, especially with Jason who would bring the ball up a lot and is more inclined to go a little bit slower, but this is a team that that really hurt them against the Knicks in the second round of the playoffs. So again, Yugo, when there’s pressure, he’s not really the guy that I want bringing the ball up full court, but whether he gets the rebound or he’s right there on the outlet, if it’s a turnover, whatever the case may be, just the idea of him in transition or semi-transition being able to attack and push the ball and as this team starts to get faster and he’s got guys running with him, that I think was sorely missing last season and is another way to get the most out of him. that could be. But I think that’s asking to, you know, maybe change the system a little bit. I like him in the grab of goal because he keeps his head down and immediately try to focus on how do I attack someone’s chest and get separation at the rim. That’s I like he’s kind of like a programmed player. He’s just making the right decisions. He’s not trying to force finishes or finish through contact, but he’s, you know, using his physicality, his, you know, his strength to find a little bit of a better angle and then immediately just finish. I think if he’s going to impact the game, it’s with his rebounding. I agree with that on the defensive end and then push the pace. But this guy will maybe scarcely be the finishing player because these guys are all habit players. they will pass the ball ahead in transition because that’s what you used to do or supposed to do unless he has a runway to the rim. Just like I said, there’s a life ball turnover and he has the ball something like that. But what I like the most about him is he’s always a substance type of player. I think he will talk a lot of trash on the floor, but he won’t dunk on you and say, “Okay, put me on uh NBA highlight videos or something like that.” That’s what I like the most about him. He’s just he has that FU attitude, but in a way that is not really gathering flash. It’s all about substance. And I think in the NBA today, that’s what you need. You don’t need the the flashy finishes and then miss a dunk or something like that because it’s all about efficiency nowadays. It’s not really the game that was played back in the day. And these guys are these guys get it. And that’s why you see so many Europeans take more spots from American players in the NBA. Yeah, it’s funny because about a week ago I asked Yugo about just that edge and that fieriness that he brings to the court and that non-stop motor that’s just so high octane and he was like that’s who I’ve been since day one. I don’t know anything else that this is who I am and how I conduct myself on the court. And so I think that’s something that Celtics fans are going to love. Even Jordan Walsh today was dropping a Marcus Smart comparison with Hugo and talking about how much Celtics fans are going to enjoy watching this guy. The term defensive menace was thrown around and you certainly you saw that over in Madrid and in Spain. And so it’s going to be really interesting to watch because that defensive versatility and that motor what he can bring as he applies that edge that he plays with. I think that is something that as everyone’s pointing out here that Celtics fans are really going to enjoy watching. Yeah, 100% man. I think he’s going to be great in the point of attack. Take over the Drew not not just like Drew, but you can move him around because he’s so physically and his frame is well filled and he has the footwork to match against any creativity they throw at him. I think that’s his role that he’s going to embrace in the NBA man, that point of attack defender. I think he’s going to make life easier for guys like Derek quite because they can take the foot off their gas and you know because they are used to to guarding the best players but this guy can can give them some relief and I think that’s one of the things that the Celtics seek especially now with tam out you don’t want to do the do the next style play guys 40 minutes a game and then hope for the best no tibido over here because this guy can really expand rotation you know from maybe 9 and he won’t play 30 minutes, but he will give you 18 fantastic minutes and that’s enough. Yeah. And I I can see him and Peyton Pritchard when they’re on the court together just being these two attack dogs defensively and really applying a lot of pressure. And listen, as a a complimentary component, right, of let’s not get carried away here of what he brings defensively. He’s got a 67 wingspan. And I liked what I saw from him when he was in the role of weak side rim protector. like it’s the motor, it’s the instincts and that length. I thought he actually did a pretty good job in that role and just given the caliber of competition, I think that he can fill it pretty well when asked to in the NBA. No, 100%. You can use it for everything. You can make him uh hack some of these five men out. Just pick up a couple of fouls, stand in the corner because this guy is, how do I say it? His rotations and his court vision is so good. If you put him on the weak side and even leave it completely empty, he won’t get the back door cut because that’s one of the things that, you know, in Europe, if you do that once you’re on the bench, especially if you’re a young guy, you know, because these teams are so half court focused. These are the mistakes that they try to take away because they play so slow. And in the NBA, he’s lucky that the game is going to be faster. But because he’s faster, he has to, you know, has have a good awareness around it. But he has that. I think he’s a better team defender at first, but he’s going to be a menace in the point of attack. I fully agree with that. It’s just I’m not going to call it a two-way player because the NBA maybe has 10 two-way players at most. You have to really be elite to be in that competition. But for a hook Gonzalez, he’s going to bring, you know, he’s going to improve the defensive rating, that’s for sure. But offensive rating, that’s the biggest question mark. And that’s why he fell to delay the first round because the way we’re talking about him, the listener might say, “Okay, why didn’t this guy go in the lottery?” Right? Yeah, I look I did my draft profile on him and people can fact check me on this. I believe it was right at the beginning of June, excuse me. And I labeled him as the like international man of mystery that maybe the biggest mystery was Cedric Coward because he barely played last year in college and he started at D3 when he first arrived in the NCAA. But Yugo just because of the the lack of playing time, projections about his shot, what will it become, what might it not reach. So all of that, he was kind of the international man of mystery in this class. It makes sense that he was on the board up until 28, even though there were teams in front of the Celtics that also could have taken a home run swing like this. And on top of it with Yugo offensively, sometimes his decision-m got him into trouble where that assist to turnover ratio wasn’t great. The same could be said defensively because of that aggression. It can be a double-edged sword, right? There were a lot of undisiplined fouls on his tape as well, but ultimately more positives than negatives come out of him playing that way. No, 100%. Of course, gambling is a part of the game, you know, just like Kon Ellis. It’s easy to fall in love with how many steals he collects, but if you look at how he defends, he he gamles a lot for these, you know, playing the passing lace too little. But that’s okay. He’s 19 years old. I think development starts in the NBA. And Real Madrid is not developing this guy. They just want players that can help them win. They don’t get benefit from developing. Of course, they get the buyout fee from Boston Celtics, but that’s a small margin of their entire budget. That’s not saving them or earning them money. And they’re one of the biggest clubs in the world. So, they don’t need that one or two extra million either. But for him, it’s all about, you know, making the right decisions consistently and that’s need experience, you know, and that’s why teams like the Boston Celtics, they value these international players because they have the experience. You can have the experience in college, but there’s never the same because this guy is competing in Spain, the best domestic league in the world after the NBA and in the Euro League. That’s the first, you know, international league in Europe and that’s one of the best basketball leagues in the world. And if a guys like that getting minutes, that means a lot, man, because these teams are just I said, I think Real Madrid has a budget of close to 30 million euros or something. That’s one of maybe even the most in Europe, but especially top three. That that’s no doubt. And if a guy like him get minutes, that’s what I like the most about how the draft community was talking about him because the lack of playing time was not really lack of playing time because these teams play 80 minutes a season. Sorry, 80 games a season. And he’s going to get 20 at most. If he’s going to be good, maybe 25, but it’ll never be 30 because these guys are he’s playing ahead of starters who are getting millions of dollars. That’s their role. He won’t crack that starting lineup. That’s not possible unless he’s Luka. But Chad, that’s that’s a generational talent. You won’t find that that wasn’t 28. No, exactly. And then I liked how many minutes he got because if you look at how many games they play in domestic league, he got more minutes and in the Euro he just came off the bench as a as a chess piece. pick up some fouls, you know, make this guy really tired and then come back, sit on the bench, and that’s that’s basically how it’s being played. And in the NBA, he’s going to have more much more freedom. And for a guy like him to succeed, he needs a little bit more freedom. So that’s why the the Boston Celtics will be good for him because he can play some minutes in the GLeague and play the way he want there, see how much untapped potential there is left for his offense. But if he’s playing for the first team, yeah, he has to, you know, impact the game defensively because that’s all he has to do because the Boston Celtics have enough offensive firepower. They don’t need to rely on him. That doesn’t make sense. Yeah, Brad Stevens. Granted, this is uh the head of a front office talking about a player that he just selected, but he genuinely seems to love that Hugo, you know, had to fight for playing time and adapt to this selfless role that you get a lot of first round prospects that it’s more difficult and a learning curve that they just start to adjust to when they reach the NBA cuz they were the man on their college team. But Hugo was on a roster loaded with former NBA players. you he talked about how much he learned from guys like Kazo and getting to play for a little bit at one point with his idol Rudy Fernandez and all these guys on a team that you know Serge Ibaka like it’s an absolutely loaded roster so you get to see how these guys carry themselves when it’s not game day and behind the scenes and their regimens you get to see how they handle themselves in terms of body language and everything on the court and when they come to the bench and what they’re saying and just on top of it all you get to adapt tapped into this role that now a lot of these players coming from college to the NBA, it’s their first time dealing with it. So, the Celtics, they feel like they already know what he is and how he’ll handle that regard of coming off the bench and what his minutes might look like. Certainly out of the gates. So, I I think that ultimately is a positive for him. Coming from Real Madrid, I didn’t know if he was going to play in summer league. He talked about being excited, but you know, I know some other top international players that have said the same thing, but actually really didn’t intend on playing in Vegas, which is understandable. And so, but he’s on the roster and he’s going and we’ll see. Maybe it’s one game and that’s it. But he’s going to be there. It’s going to be interesting to see what he does and how long he’s actually out there at summer league. Yeah, because it’s an unnatural environment because he has more to lose than to gain by playing in summer league. I totally understand that. some league is for these guys on E10 contracts or fighting for an E10 contract. That will be selfish. That’s not and who goes expect to produce. If he scores five points a game, the media will say what a bust that they like to use that term on draft prospects. I hate the term. I love it. But yeah, but that’s realization. All right, I’ll be the one cautioning if it goes that way. Yeah, exactly. because he can score six points on two for eight shooting or something like that and they will say, “Yeah, the European players can play.” It’s it’s all about context. I think summer league is for him. He has much more to lose than he has anything to gain. So, one game just for the for the fans and I would call it a day, man. I wouldn’t play summer league if I were him. He has nothing to prove. Yeah. I I didn’t know even when he first said out of the gates that he hopes to play there. I didn’t know if he actually would, but it it appears on track to be heading that way. He’s on the roster. He talked about it again today. Matt Reynolds talked about it. He’s their head coach at summer league. So, it appears to be happening. Yeah, totally. So, yes, I agree with that wholeheartedly. And look, someone who’s going to be joining him at summer league. The Celtics second round of the draft, they missed out on Rashier Fleming. They traded out of the 32nd pick, excuse me, they take Amari Williams from Kentucky at 46. What’s your assessment of the center from Nottingham, England as role versatility for the Celtics? The Celtics play five out. That’s their entire strategy. But with Omari Williams, he can’t play five out. So, they have to play four out and have some opportunities by playing inside out with a guy like him. He’s a playmaking. That’s his sole purpose in the NBA. He’s a fantastic passer. He recognizes passing angles very well. That’s how much I like his game. But the deficiencies why he fell to the second round. He has no right hand. He’s a one-hand dominant finisher. And yeah, he has to work on two-handed finishing man because he’s not effective around the rim. He’s not really a floor stretcher neither. I think his touch is it’s a little bit shaky, but with him it’s all about physicality and skill. you win the rebounding battle with him because he he’s a big body down low and he will grab every rebound coming his way quoteunquote and the best thing with him is you have to use him as a playmaking hop as that post entry pass and then decision making or maybe a little bit in the short role I think short roll playmaking is one of the toughest things in the NBA and you have Draymond and after Draymond it’s it’s up for discussion who second I don’t think there’s easily to name a second you very good short roll playmaker, but he that’s the that’s the bet that you’re making. If he’s decent out of the pick and roll, out of screens, out of, you know, ball movement, just getting rid of the ball, being interior presence, and try to keep guys in inside because the Celtics want to shoot from outside, but you can play five out with him, but that’s not necessary. You, the Celtics played five out for 48 minutes, right? So, you have to have a little bit of interior presence or else you’re going to get dominated on the boards. And I think that’s pure hedging by the Celtics. If this guy can play 10 minutes, he can take away an the role of an older player, if that makes sense. Because it’s always been fill-in players at the the back of five position for the Celtics because they struggle to fill in that position for many years. And they take another gamble, man, just to find a little bit of a reliable uh back of five who going to get play maybe 10 minutes a game or something. Yeah. Yeah, and look, the expectation is he’s on a two-way. You might hardly see him with the Boston Celtics this year. You’ll definitely see him in Maine with in the GLeague. This is it’s not a comparison in terms of especially right out of the gates. Again, he might be someone that just lives on a two-way deal with the Celtics and at some point moves on. So, I’m not comparing him to performing the role at the same level as Luke Cornette, but Luke Cornet, which is ironic because he came into the league as a theoretical at least floor spacing five that could knock down threes and he totally reinvented his game. I think that’s the template that they’re going to apply to Amari Williams where he’s this massive body. He’s a punishing screen setter and as you mentioned, easily his standout trait is that facilitating and what he can do as a passer. So if he has the body control on the short roll like Luke Cornett could manipulate that defender who’s zoning two just using his eyes. So he’s over seven feet tall. He’ll catch it on the short roll. He’s in control and then even if his ideal outlet is not available, he can move that defender and make it so. So Amari Williams, you know, that’s a long ways to go if he ever gets to anything close to that. But I think that role where okay, you don’t bring gravity as a shooter by any means, but defenders are going to play off you and with your passing and your size and screen setting, we’re going to capitalize on it that way. Yeah, exactly. I think that’s a sol. But for him to even see an NBA floor is finishing around the basket is a mustave because he finishes with one hand. Yeah. That’s that’s not helping you in any way, man. Because NBA team can say just focus on the left, you take him away easily because he tried to go left all the time. He has to work on his right hand, man. He’s just the touch is not good either. So that’s the that’s the other side of the coin with him. But again, you’re not going to draft a starter at 46. It’s crazy to even have that idea, right? So if he can steal a few spot minutes, that’s a win. But what I like about him is the Boston Celtics are adding role versatility because they are not forced to play five out all the time. They can use him as an interior body, win the rebounding battle because that’s what he’s going to do. He’s going to take away every rebound and maybe grab an offense rebound here and there and pass and try to add some more gravity to his passing. But with his finishing, as you say, just to get into inside the paint, maybe a little bit with the post up. He can’t have the ball in his hands for too many seconds because yeah, you have to you want to push the pace and try to maximize that offensive rating. But it’s just hedging. I think with a guy like him, he brings an option maybe. And if he doesn’t see an NBA floor, he can be productive with May, you know, and try to improve his offensive game there. And these two-way contracts are for two years, right? So, I don’t know if he signed the two-year deal or one year deal, but basically let’s say he’s in Boston, so he wouldn’t want to leave Boston. He have him for two years. Maybe he can develop into I’m blanking on his name, man. He was five, played for Michigan State. Xavier Telman. Yeah. Yeah. Xavier Tman. A guy like him. Just just uh grab a few minutes where you can keep the team afloat and then sit back on the bench. Yeah. I mean, realistic bots for him. Yeah, it’s pick number 46. So, that works. And I talked to Matt Reynolds today. Again, he’s the head coach for the Celtics at Summer League and one of the teams assistants. And he noted the three standout traits there, the passing, the screening, the rebounding, but said, quote, “We want him to be a diversified player.” So, defensively, you look at Amari, he’s a drop big, but he’s so big that, you know, he’s able to swat shots, protect the rim, alter them. So, it’s going to be interesting to see how he looks, how he holds up defensively because as much as I buy into what he can do in a Luke Cornetesque role offensively and what he can bring on the glass, no doubt, but defensively is where he’s going to have to hold up because that skill set offensively that’s not enough to be a one-way player and that’s not going to help his case for going from a standard to a two-way contract. Yeah, exactly. He has to focus on adding some extra skills that can help him to see NBA minutes. And I think it’s realistic that he can eventually get there. But the two-way finishing to sorry, two-handed finishing is a must man. Without that, his sole purpose on the floor is basically gone because he is a play finisher at best because he’s not stretching the floor or be an effective player in the mid race necessarily. He has to be in the paint. But if you onehand it in the paint and that’s the only thing that you do on one-dimensionally, it’s done, man. Don’t I don’t have any confidence that he will be an offensively good player. But he has to maximize his his qualities there to see minutes and I think that’s fair. But he has an fantastic opportunity in Boston because in Maine he can play competitive G- League basketball for two years and it’s up to him if he can uh yeah steal some spot minutes from the the veterans there. Yeah, I definitely think that they’re going to give him a lot of opportunities in the G- League. So, I think that part happens and we’ll see where it goes. Lastly, the Celtics, they utilized the 57th pick. That’s the third to last selection in the draft on the former Atlantic 10 player of the year, Max Schulga. What do Celtics fans need to know about his game? I don’t know, man. Because I haven’t seen him. That’s one of the things that uh that’s one of the things you like honesty here. Yeah, because you have tail on Peter from Indiana Pacers. I even never heard of the guy when he was drafted. I was like, “Okay, this is fun.” So, I see guys drafted. I put all this effort and there’s always players that I didn’t watch. And with Max Shook, I had it on my watch list for I think the entire year because he was good the year before, but I never really found the time or really gave him enough, you know, respect in my own watch list to watch him, you know. So, yeah. Exactly. and then around March Madness et that’s where the season is done and I don’t value that type of games. So I don’t know man but I remember from last year that he if he came out maybe he will be cracking potential first round but that’s always buzz because you have 60 potential first rounders. Yeah you only have 30 spots, right? But I don’t know man. If this guy brings experience and he’s a former A10 player of the year, that’s that’s kind of a good opportunity late in the second round. And his swing skill, that’s shooting. If you look at his profile, that’s the entire thing. Consistency from three. But I don’t know anything about, you know, how much gravity does the shooting or how does he shoot off the dribble? Maybe the one dribble pull up because if you’re only good at catch and shoot, yeah, in the NBA, that’s not going to help you. You have to add some more versatility there. be good as a one dribble shooter and he’s not going to create what the balance is. That’s for sure. So that’s why this one dribble shooter is great because you add so much more gravity to your slashing and close out scoring that way. But I’m I’m curious man about him. I’m curious. But I’m always careful with these good college shooters. 40% from three. That’s you know good for the eye. But it’s always in the NBA is different. These guys have to adapt to a different role. But I’m curious what he will bring, man. Yeah, I’ll say this that Max, it’s understood just based off where he got picked. Long ways to go. But and I’ve said for years, a point that you touched on there that the league has phased out those shooters that are not dynamic. You have to be able to put the ball on the deck. And Celtics fans have seen it with Sam Hower’s growth in that regard. Now he’s gotten more comfortable being able to make a play off the dribble. with Schulga. He is a dynamic shooter. He he can knock him down effectively off the pullup. He’s more effective off the catch, but he’s good at both and he’ll hit it not just stationary, but off movement when we talk about off the catch and what that looks like as well. So, you can run him off pin downs and whatever you want there. And he’s still really effective. So, he is a dynamic shooter for sure. He’s got some moves to him off the bounce as well. He’s got actually a pretty nasty euro step, a really nice spin move. So, there’s more to his game. what translates to the NBA. Maybe none of it outside of the shooting though. We’ll have to see. But what I do like with this, you know, he’s a long shot here. What I like is there’s a feistiness to his game defensively. And I mean, he will regularly pick guys up in the back court, press them, put pressure on them, and really try and make them work. He’s very handsy, which who cares about foul trouble when you’re talking about the minutes he’s going to get when he’s not in Maine. So, he’s very aggressive, but it also does lead to a lot of steals. And I like the competitive nature of how he plays defensively, especially for someone who’s way more of an offensive player. Yeah, exactly, man. And I think the one of the biggest things is throughout the the few years that I’ve been doing this, I had the opportunity to talk with a few scouts who work for NBA teams, and the common denominator in the questions and the answer that I got was toughness. They value toughness. If you’re not tough, we don’t care about the skill that you have. You can be the best player, but if you’re not playing hard, it’s as easy as that sometimes because that’s the base. It’s all about the fundamentals and substance and how tough is a player. If you’re taking possessions off just because you have to reload your motor, we’re done. I think that was so eye opening for me that I tried to focus on that and that’s especially for Suga because I didn’t see him play. But if we talk about the guys that were drafted, the common denominator is again here toughness, this physicality, just seeking a little bit of dominance in your position. And the Celtics seem to value that because they have already the dynamic ball handling initiating wings. You have to surround these these two guys in Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum with these guys, man. Just these filthy the filthy job doers, just the hard workers. Yeah. Because that’s that’s the nature of the game, man. Because if you don’t have that elite trait, you have to fight to stick in the league. That’s why that points that you mentioned. I liked it. I liked it because that that’s basically what you need to succeed in the NBA because all these guys are fighting for contracts, man. I think the league is ready for expansion because it’s survival of the fitness at the moment. Yeah. I mean, if you’re not a brown or a tatative, you got to be a junkyard dog. You got you got to figure out where you fit in and how to fit in. So, it’ll be interesting to see. And yeah, definitely expansion that’s coming soon. Seattle and Las Vegas. And so it’s about time. The just the league is more talented than ever, which is really exciting and good for those like us who like parody when it comes to this will be the last question. Er, we’ll get you out on this. We’ve covered Yugo and Amari and Max. What is your overall assessment of Boston’s draft class, understanding where they were picking and that there were also some goals related to financial flexibility? Yeah, exactly. I think in terms of, you know, managing the cap, it’s maybe an A minus, but in terms of the guys that you bring in, maybe a B, a B+. I think that’s the fair range. It’s nothing more than that because, yeah, you’re not bringing in exceptional players to make it make sense. Hugo can be an exceptional role player that fits in the puzzle that this team is. But with Omari, the the odds of him touching an NBA floor are very slim. And with Maxoga, I don’t have a take on him. But let’s say he evolves into an NBA player, it will take a little bit of time and you have to worry about his next contract because yeah, these second rounders, if you give him a contract in two years, you have to think about what you’re going to do next because these guys are going to demand money. Give me four or five% of the cap or something like that. But the Hugo pick is is an home run swing, which is kind of realistic what the Boston Celtics need versus what they got. The value that they got is tremendous, man. So that’s why, you know, the B+ is is the spare. But in terms of the cap, yeah, man, the Celtics are struggling because they pay Tatum with 35% of the cap and Brown may be 30. So, and then you have, of course, if they’re quiet. There’s no money left. There’s no money. I mean, imagine when Drew Holiday was on the books and Porzingis at 30 million. They were all in the last couple years. And then you, that’s why you have to hit on these swings in the second round because you have two years and then he’s going away. It’s just, you know, first in, first out. Just like in supermarket, you know, you can’t have milk one day extra because the new ones coming in. That’s kind of the crazy thing with NBA nowadays with these Mac deals, man. If even that’s one one crazy thing actually, I like it. It’s a little bit funny to me. Let’s say you have you’re a fantastic defender and you make all NBA defensive team’s not happy because they are they have to pay you more, right? So Jiren Jackson example. Yeah. You pray for don’t win it. We don’t want you to win it. We we wish you the best but don’t win it please. So I think these things with data being all NBA all l is good of course but yeah him paying 35% cap is crazy that you earn 35% of what you can spend you have to give it to one player and they have three players like that 80% is gone. Yeah you really have to hit on your role players man. I think that’s that’s what I like about NBA nowadays because NBA fronts have to work a lot harder. They can’t lazily take uh the most popular player at 12 or something like that. They really have to do their homework because they can’t afford to miss the draft two or three years in a row just like the Utah Jazz for example. They can’t afford to make these mistakes because it sets them back further because they you want to pay your own players because it helps you in the long run. That’s why the Celtics are in a fantastic position man because they the cornerstone pieces of these teams are own they drafted the players themselves and they keep getting these small wins. Bridget is in uh trade talks for years, but yeah, why would the Celtics have ever trade? One of the most team friendly deals in the league. Yeah. So, look, I understand there needs to be guard rails in place. I’m counting down the days until there’s a new collective bargaining agreement. This one, I’m not a fan. I wasn’t the moment that we started to unpack what’s in there about the the second apron penalties and everything. So, they can opt out in 2030. And I’m hoping they do. Obviously, no one wants a labor strike, but I’m hoping there’s a better solution than this one where, like you said, you’re at the supermarket. It’s just a revolving door. Yeah, exactly. And you don’t want these National Football League rosters, you know, with 250 million cap space because let’s be honest, in a few years, it’s going to be there. Oh, yeah. It’s definitely headed that way. Arison, thank you for the time and the knowledge. I give you the floor now to go ahead and plug and promote. let people know where they can find you on social media. Let them know about the Substack once again and where they can go and consume your excellent work. I’m grateful, man. Thanks again for having me on, Bobby. You’re too kind. I wishing the Celtics a lot of success this season. That’s first and foremost. Let’s enjoy summer league. And for me, the subst is uh I’m heading the cold periods again because for me, the warm periods are March Madness until the draft. And for me, I just write about NBA prospects all the time. You can find it at my Substack. E D M I R MBA show link in the bio handle. We got the Substack link in the show bio people. Thanks, man. And for me, I just write about the right about players non-stop. Let’s cover the players. For guys like Hugo, I try to find these guys late in the first round. If you’re interested in the top 10 guys, yeah, my newsletter is not going to help you in any way. But if you like the the less coed guys, that’s what I try to do. I have to give these guys an honest floor as well. I’m watching games non-stop. I’m just back from holiday. On holiday, I watch a little bit of the FIA United World Cup. So, maybe I will write a review of the tournament. Maybe not. I will see. But that’s what I do, man. I just try to focus on the the guys that not getting attention. That should get a little bit of attention. So, there’s one guy that I would like to plug. I’m going to write about him, but that’s he’s going to be a fun player to watch. Roman Sua. I don’t I don’t I hope that I butchered his name, but he’s from Australia. Give it to him one more time. Make sure they really digest the name. Roman Sua. I I think I butchered it horribly. But it’s a guy. He’s at 6566. He’s a former rugby player. It’s just pure strength, dominance, and skill, man. That’s But he can shoot. If you look at the shot, it’s okay. It’s It’s almost broken. But that’s when that’s my guy for this this draft class. I’m totally sold in on it. Roman Su Lipa. So, I’m going to write about him. So, if you’re if you’re enjoying these types of articles where you it’s not really u you know, how do you how do you say it? A crapshoot. Mhm. Because I watch these guys and I try to dissect what their MB are also going to be. But that’s what I tried to do, man. So, for me, the second round was more fun than the first round, actually during the draft because that’s what most of the guys I wrote with came back. I love that. I think it’s part of why I said it last time, I’ll say it again. I’m 10 toes down on this as I kick away my little swivel setup here, that you are the best at what you do. You have found your passion and your niche and you excel at it. And so, to everyone here on the stream, you didn’t know who that guy was that he just talked about. the best way to consume him is from someone who can already tell you about his game and is going to have informative content about him. And the same goes for all the other prospects that Ursin is tackling here. And so again, sub subscribe, support his Substack. It’s going to make you better. You’re here for a reason. And on top of it, as he’s discussed in the past, he’s got a really great community on there that he’s cultivated. So you’re going to enjoy the entire experience and it’s well worth. Hey, thanks man. And that’s one of them sensual. I think the common denominator of the people that are loyally reading all the articles, they love the game. I think that’s the common demand. That’s why otherwise why would you read an article of 10 minutes about the potential 40 pick in the draft? That doesn’t make sense, right? You really have to be hoops lover. So that’s what I try to do, man. Because just giving it back a little bit to the game. And uh you know, let’s see what the season brings for the Celtics as well. It’s going to be challenging. you you are used to competing, but now realistically you can’t really compete because the East is kind of loading up. Even though it’s wide open, it’s not for the Celtics. Yeah, it’s going to be tough. And even if you have a good regular season, yeah, what’s he going to do in the playoffs? But I never rule the Celtics out, man. Because I’ve not watched NBA for that long. I think it’s about 10 years now. I’ve learned one thing. You can’t rule the Celtics out. They can be bad as possible, but they always find a way to uh to uh make a make a make a run to the conference finals to the final. It’s crazy, man. You guys are really good. I think one of the elite programs in the league, you know, because of how consistent the bad years are not five years. In a few years, you’re back. Yeah, the consistency has been remarkable. And look, it what I’m telling everyone is to treat next season like they did what was dubbed the bridge Celtics when it was Isaiah Thomas and Evan Turner and Jay Crowder and Avery Bradley where you understood this is not the mold of a championship contender. So just enjoy the ride and whatever comes with it next season. You don’t expect this team there’s talented on the talent on the roster but you don’t expect championship contention from this group. So just enjoy it, appreciate it for what it is. And there’s plenty of storylines that we’re going to be diving into every step of the way. And that that starts right now, including with summer league. I’ll be there in Vegas. That’s when our next live stream is going to come to you. We will sort out the time and date as we adjust to the difference in time zone with me over there on the West Coast. So, I’ll be sure to get that information out to everyone here in the stream. Thank you for tuning in. He is Arison Demar. Once again, sub support and subscribe to his Substack because it really is exceptional. I’m Bobby Kitzky. Thank you once again for tuning in.
On this episode of Celtics Rundown, host Bobby Krivitsky from Forbes is joined by NBA Draft analyst Ersin Demir to evaluate Boston’s draft class.
Be sure to check out Ersin’s informative NBA newsletter on Substack: https://t.co/fX07OQDpYL
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