The Boston Celtics’ bench is currently one of the deepest in the NBA. Players like Hugo Gonzalez have effectively filled the gaps left by key players in head coach Joe Mazzulla’s system, and some analysts believe an elite rookie is on the horizon.
Gonzalez was the cornerstone of the Celtics’ offense in Monday’s 108-81 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, contributing 18 points, 16 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.
The fourth-year shooting guard’s performance compensated for the absence of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who missed the game due to injury and illness, respectively.
Tatum and Brown, plus Nikola Vucevic next year, take up a large portion of the Celtics’ salary cap, so if Mazzulla wants to maintain the same roster depth, he needs low-cost young players to fill potential gaps.
Enter Aday Mara.
The Michigan star Boston could land in the draft
In his most recent mock draft, The Athletic analyst Sam Vecenie predicted that the Celtics could snatch the 7-foot-3 Aday Mara to bolster their frontcourt.
After two lackluster years at UCLA, Mara entered the transfer portal to join Dusty May’s Wolverines, where he’s putting up numbers worthy of a first-round draft pick:
- 29 games
- 11.4 points
- 67.7% field goal percentage
- 2.4 assists
- 2.6 blocks
Mara has worked his way back into draft consideration by being one of the best shot blockers in college basketball, while also arguably being the best passing 7-footer.
Mara is a calculated risk for the Celtics
Vecenie said the Michigan center “has the makings of a great NBA big man,” but also noted that his athleticism has raised some concerns.
However, the success they’ve had with Gonzalez, despite also being a late first-rounder, demonstrates that the Celtics’ front office knows how to get the best out of their draft picks, beyond just the lottery.
If Boston rescues Vucevic from free agency with a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract, the arrival of Gonzalez will be pure oxygen for a franchise with short-term championship aspirations.
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