The Boston Celtics have had the ultimate wildcard over the last few years in Robert Williams. But the center position as a whole needs to be revamped, as Rob is deteriorating and Al Horford is aging.
A player Boston should add if he’s available to them in the NBA Draft is Trayce Jackson-Davis out of Indiana. He’s the only player in the draft that’s worth trading up from 35 for.
Jackson-Davis made a great career for himself as a four-year starter at Indiana. In 2023, he was an All- American and won the Karl Malone Award for being the best power forward in the country.
In four years at Indiana, TJD averaged 17.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 2.1 blocks per game in 126 career games. He shoots 56.5 percent from the field and does not go beyond the arc, as he did only one time in four years.
At 6-foot-9 and 245 lbs, TJD is considered to be an undersized big man but he has the skills in his bag which has made him arguably the best player in the country and the best player in the NBA Draft at his position.
TJD has the footwork to maneuver in the paint and around the basket, not to mention he’s an efficient scorer from the midrange. He has an impressive skyhook that he can hit from the elbow, just like he does on a typical pull-up from that distance.
The All-American big man has great court vision and makes plays distributing the ball and making sure to move the ball around the court. As a result, he averaged four assists per game last season.
TJD’s defensive presence would make an immediate impact on this Celtics team that should be trying to get back to their strong defensive ways from two years ago. He averaged 9.1 rebounds per game over his four-year career, with 6.3 rebounds being from the defensive end.
He dominates the paint, gets rebounds to give his team a second chance, and he’s versatile enough to switch well while playing the style of defense the Celtics run.
Jackson-Davis finishes his four-year career with the third-most points (2,258) in school history. He holds the school record in rebounds (1,143) and blocks (270), third in double-doubles (50), and is one of five players in Big Ten basketball history with 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.
TJD is the only player in the Draft I think is worth it for Boston to move up in order to have him.
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Photo Credit: Andrew Mascharka, Indiana University
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