The Celtics were by far the pride of the Eastern Conference, paving their way to the franchise’s 18th NBA championship with a talented roster based on long-range shooting and strong defense.
The fight to stop Boston from becoming the first team since the Golden State Warriors in 2018 to defend its title began with the draft on Wednesday night. Although this was just the start of what is expected to be an active offseason in the league, Day 1 made it clear that some of the Celtics’ top contenders next season could come from their own division.
Two of those teams – the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers – both made their selections with an eye toward competing sooner rather than later.
Philadelphia entered the offseason with a virtual clean slate and plenty of salary cap space to build a roster around stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The 76ers began that process by signing a shooting guard in former Duke guard Jared McCain.
Even before draft night began, the Knicks were one of the most active teams in the NBA. Acquisition of Mikal Bridges in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday. On Wednesday, OG Anunoby was signed for a new contract worth more than $210 millionallowing them to have two of the league’s best wing defenders play alongside star Jalen Brunson.
Joining this mix is Frenchman Pacome Dadiet, a 3-and-D wing from France.
The Nets were Boston’s only teammates in the Atlantic Division without first-round picks.
Boston Celtics
The team needs: Depth. Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens made it clear earlier this week that any player selected during the draft will have a hard time getting into the current rotation. That’s a great position for a team that will spend the rest of the offseason simply tweaking the bottom end of its roster.
Who was drafted by the Celtics: Creighton G Baylor Scheierman. He’s a left-handed shooter with great range from the outside and scored over 2,000 points in college. He won’t impress you with his athleticism and his ability to improve defensively will determine how well he performs at the next level.
Player comparison: Orlando Magic F Joe Ingles.
New York Knicks
Team need: Not much from the draft after agreeing to a deal to acquire Bridges from the Nets and getting Anunoby to agree to his long-term contract to stay in New York within 24 hours of the earlier move.
Who drafted the Knicks: France F Pacome Dadiet. The last of four French players who were drafted in a historic night for the countryDadiet is only 18 years old and still has a lot of room to develop. He is good with the ball in his hands and has many options to attack the defense.
Player Comparison: Maybe one day Anunoby or Bridges, who can defend multiple wing positions. But the Knicks have what it takes now, so they might not even bring him out of France this season.
Philadelphia 76ers
What the team needs: Pretty much everything. Almost the entire team – players like Kelly Oubre Jr., Kyle Lowry and Nic Batum – finished the season on expired contracts. Team president Daryl Morey has about $65 million in salary cap space, a max contract of over $200 million to offer Maxey, and plenty of questions to answer about how to finally build a true NBA championship contender around Embiid.
Who was drafted by the 76ers: McCain. A player who became the Blue Devils’ toughest competitor after just one year. He made 41% of his 3s and 89% of his free throws. He had two 30-point games in the NCAA Tournament. He had two 30-point games in the NCAA Tournament to lead Duke to the Elite Eight.
Player Comparison: Knicks G Jalen Brunson. McCain is about the same size and is an All-Star for the Knicks. He comes into the league about two years younger than the former Villanova star when he was drafted.
Toronto Raptors
Team requirements: Any promising player who can play alongside him newly extended All-Star striker Scottie Barnes on a talent-poor team that traded Anunoby and Pascal Siakam last season before slipping to a 25-57 record and missing the play-in tournament.
Who drafted the Raptors: With the first-round pick it received in the Siakam trade, Toronto drafted 6-foot-4 Baylor guard Ja’Kobe Walter. Walter, 19, was Baylor’s leading scorer in his only season with the Bears and was also named Big 12 Freshman of the Year after averaging 14.5 points and 4.4 rebounds.
Player Comparison: Walter is a promising shooter, determined driver and aggressive rebounder. He is also considered a versatile defender. This mix of qualities makes him comparable to Clippers guard Terance Mann.
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AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney, AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston and freelancer Ian Harrison contributed to this report.
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NBA players: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
