The pick didn't land top 3 again, which was a relief, because then Ainge would have in essence traded Luka Doncic. ![]() Boston traded their last Nets pick with Isaiah Thomas for Kyrie Irving. Michael Porter Jr.: Selected 14th in the 2018 NBA Draft. Truth be told Smart and Murray would have made a fantastic backcourt in the modern NBA. I remember Marcus Smart being upset with the Celtics for selecting another point guard in Terry Rozier in 2015, so he would have likely had a coniption if Boston took Murray in 2016. □ Simmons on whether this Celtics team ever get over the hump? /SY41wM10HW- June 2, 2023 Objectively speaking I think Murray is a better player than Jaylen, and just as importantly he's a better fit. Better playmaker, ball handler, and passer. Jaylen Brown made 2nd team All-NBA this season so the pick was still a good one by Ainge, but in terms of a better fit next to your #1 star Jayson Tatum, Murray would be it right now. Murray was my guy and Ideally I wanted the Celtics to trade down to draft him (and collect an additional asset for that). While I was open to trading the #3 pick to Chicago for Jimmy Butler if I recall correctly the Bulls were demanding a lot more in addition to the pick. Receipts for when I advocated for the Celtics drafting Jamal Murray back in 2016.Įye On The Draft: Jamal Murray's strengths and weaknesses /LeJhGKXcvQ- June 9, 2023 Jamal Murray was the player I wanted the Celtics to end up with and I have the receipts. I've loved the NBA Draft ever since I was a kid, so the Celtics having a top 3 pick was huge to me. Jamal Murray: Selected 7th in the 2016 NBA Draft (Jaylen Brown was picked 3rd by Boston). The best way to draft a star is with a top 5 pick, but NBA champions are full of stars who were picked later. Again to build an elite team, finding a star an unconventional way is huge. Now of course no one knew how good the Joker would become, so you can't fault Danny Ainge for notdrafting him, but Denver gets credit for making the pick. Nikola Jokic: Selected 41st in the 2014 NBA Draft (Marcus Smart picked 6th by Boston and James Young was picked 17th). That's how the Denver Nuggets were built, and ironically all their major pieces could have been Celtics. The key to building an elite contender is to draft great and then supplement your team with wise additions via trades or free agent signings. Again, Stevens has been good so far, but he's not elite either. If you follow Celtics Twitter, just like with Ainge, whenever Stevens makes a move, he's called a genius. The architect of that 17th championship was Danny Ainge, who was definitely one of the better general managers, but not as amazing as green teamers may rank him. Since then Boston has only won one title in the past 37 seasons. That resulted in 16 NBA titles in 30 NBA seasons. The Boston Celtics had that for decades when Red Auerbach simply ran circles around the other teams' general managers. That's a front office being great at their jobs. ![]() And the last and final way is probably the hardest. NBA players love Los Angeles and Miami, so the Lakers, Clippers, and Heat will always have an advantage when it comes to signing free agents, or in this player empowerment era getting players to force trade there. For example the San Antonio Spurs who just happen to have won the NBA lottery the Robinson, Duncan, and Wemby years. How do you build an elite NBA championship contender? Well one way is luck.
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