The Celtics have the No. 27 pick in the first round of the NBA Draft, which begins next Tuesday.
We are just one week away from night one of the NBA Draft and things are bound to get very eventful for the Boston Celtics in that time.
Boston enters the draft with picks No. 27 and 40, but will they use them or will they trade them as part of a deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo? Could they trade them as part of a deal to offload the money owed to a veteran like Derrick White or Sam Hauser?
It all remains to be seen, but the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes should end before the draft, meaning that the action should be about to pick up.
So far, we've profiled the Celtics connections to a number of draft targets, including Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed Jr. of UConn, Zuby Ejiofor and Dillon Mitchell of St. John's, and Henri Veesaar of North Carolina.
But there's a new name to watch for, as ESPN's Jeremy Woo had the Celtics selecting Meleek Thomas out of Arkansas in his most recent mock draft.
About Meleek Thomas
Thomas is a 6-foot-5 guard from Pittsburgh, Pa. who spent one season at Arkansas under head coach John Calipari. In 37 games, he averaged 15.6 ppg and 3.8 rebounds. He also had 2.5 assists while shooting 43.5 percent from the floor and 41.6 percent from three. He started 21 games, with Woo saying he could be a solid developmental piece for the Celtics already deep roster.
Why this selection could be good
Too Woo's point, he's a good developmental option. A 6-foot-5 hybrid guard/small forward with the ability to keep growing is always intriguing, especially one who can shoot a little bit from beyond the arc.
Thomas attempted more than five three-pointers a game last season with the Razorbacks, so if the Celtics want to keep playing a perimeter-oriented game, he could fight in nicely.
Finally, he played for Calipari at Arkansas, which means he's been exposed to high-level and intense coaching.
Arkansas Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas (1) drives against High Point Panthers guard Chase Johnston (99) in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Craig Strobeck-Imagn ImagesWhere the questions could come in
To the point above: Thomas is a player who currently does like to shoot the 3-ball. The Celtics have stated, or at least Brad Stevens has stated, that he'd like to see some more balance in the offense. Is Thomas really a player that can do that? Or is he just a doubling-down of what Boston already does?
At 6-5, he also doesn't really help in the rebounding department or on the defensive interior, things the Celtics should be looking to improve upon.
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