Hoops Hype’s dynamic NBA re-draft duo Frank Urbina and Raul Barrigon are back at their craft in re-assessing past NBA drafts, this time putting the magnifying glass to the 2005 class that features a healthy cohort of players who would go on to play for the Boston Celtics, albeit a few only briefly.
With the 2023 NBA draft not far off now, the storied ball club’s front office is doing its best to assess talent in the incoming class of prospective players in the same sort of way Urbina and Barrigon have done with several such drafts, though of course with the invaluable benefit of hindsight.
Let’s take a look at which Celtics alumni landed where in this revisionist assessment.
No. 30 pick: Will Bynum (actual – undrafted)
“Will Bynum … was a scorer as an undersized guard for the Pistons,” writes H/H, “one who could get hot from time to time thanks to his quickness and pull-up shooting ability.”
No. 25 pick: Ryan Gomes (actual – 50)
“A scrappy forward, Ryan Gomes could shoot the basketball but perhaps not all that consistently,” observes H/H. “Still, Gomes was a good scorer off the bench thanks to his slashing.”
No. 20 pick: Brandon Bass (actual – 33)
“Brandon Bass‘ range didn’t quite extend to the 3-point line but he was pretty accurate from the midrange, often able to finish over smaller foes,” recalls H/H. “Bass will be remembered most for his time on the Boston Celtics when he was a solid backup to Kevin Garnett.”
No. 19 pick: Amir Johnson (actual – 56)
“Amir Johnson may not have been a star, but he did do enough to earn a whole lot of money during his playing career thanks to his screen-setting abilities as a backup big man,” claims H/H.
No. 17 pick: Nate Robinson (actual – 21)
“Robinson probably wasn’t the same level of player as a lot of the players who went ahead of him in our re-draft, but he will be remembered fondly for his otherworldly athleticism at his size,” recounts H/H.
No. 16 pick: Gerald Green (actual – 18)
“Gerald Green … was one of the most explosive dunkers in the NBA in his prime with an ability to get fiery hot from beyond the arc at a moment’s notice,” says H/H.
No. 5 pick: David Lee (actual – 30)
“David Lee was a southpaw big man with good quickness and a solid face-up game, who really thrived in the up-tempo systems he suited up for,” shares H/H.
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