May 31, 2026 12:44 PM
Updated May 31, 2026 1:16 PM

No player in the draft is perfect, especially where the C's are picking, but which direction Boston goes will tell us a lot about how they're feeling about style of play moving forward.

Over the last few weeks, we've covered several of the pre-draft workouts for the Boston Celtics, including UConn standout Alex Karaban and St. John's standouts Zuby Ejiofor and Dillon Mitchell.

Each of those three players are solid players with good college careers under their belts, but each of them comes with questions, and it will be fascinating to see how the Celtics answer some of these questions as the draft approaches.

Brad Stevens at the end of the season 

After the Celtics lost in the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers, the C's president of basketball ops made a comment about wanting to be better at the rim, perhaps as opposed to being so reliant on the three-point shot.

"More of an impact at the rim. And I think we do need to add to our team to do that."

Of course, the Celtics can go out and trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo and take care of that problem, but it will still be interesting to see what inclinations about future style of play the draft gives us (June 23-24).

Specific examples 

For instance: Mitchell is an excellent athlete who excels around the rim, as he shot 56 percent from the floor at St. John's this season. At 6-foot-8, he's also a good rebounder who averaged seven boards a game. His length and athleticism would help the Celtics defend on the perimeter, while also being able to bring some needed toughness to the interior.

The one thing he won't do is help on the three-point line. He was just 1-of-15 from three this season (seven percent), and he's only a 19 percent three-point shooter for his college career.

Is Stevens so hellbent on getting this team better on the interior that he takes a player like Mitchell, who offers zero threat from the outside? It's one thing to want to be more balanced, but it's another to have players on the floor that teams can completely back off of.

Ejiofor, who was the Big East Player of the Year, isn't quite that poor from deep (27.7 percent career), but it's a similar question. Would Stevens take a player who is almost solely a threat on the inside at this time?

Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens on the court sideline before the start of the first round against the Boston Celtics for the 2022 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. David Butler II-Imagn ImagesBoston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens on the court sideline before the start of the first round against the Boston Celtics for the 2022 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. David Butler II-Imagn Images

On the flip side, there's Karaban. He's not seen as overly strong or overly athletic. He isn't a real threat on the block to score, also at 6-foot-8, and he's not necessarily strong enough to defend or rebound at a high level. What he can do is shoot.

Would Stevens take a perimeter-oriented player like him, who won't help solve the inside woes? Or would that create "more of the same?"

Assuming the Celtics make their picks in the draft (No. 27 and No. 40), we'll have to see what their picks tell us about how they plan on playing in 2026-27.

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