Joe Mazzulla, Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics will head into the offseason armed with their own 2026 first-round pick. Given the success Joe Mazzulla’s team is having this season, they will likely be making a selection at the tail end of the first round.
Bleacher Report’s latest mock draft sees Boston landing 6-foot-11 big man, Patrick Ngongba, out of Duke.
“The Celtics would be wise to leave this draft with a center if the board breaks right, and that’s how things shook out here,” Zach Buckley wrote. “Ngongba’s offensive bag is limited, and he isn’t particularly bouncy, but he has great feel and advanced instincts—not to mention a 7’4″ wingspan, paint protection and a penchant for passing.”
Ngongba’s skill set has a significant crossover with that of Neemias Queta. He falls into the rim-runner archetype, whereas Nikola Vucevic and Luka Garza are both stretch bigs who do most of their damage on the perimeter.
It’s also worth noting that Boston also has Amari Williams on the squad. Like Ngongba, Williams is more of a rim-running big, but has elite passing skill and tremendous upside as a playmaking five. For those reasons, it’s incredibly difficult to see Ngongba being Boston’s draft-pick of choice. Not only due to the crossover in skill set, but also due to the depth Boston already has at the center position.
Celtics Unlikely To Draft “Polarizing” Big Man
During a March 2 mock draft from The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie, Ngongba was predicted to be taken with the 20th pick. However, the interesting part was that Vecenie noted how polarizing Ngongba had become among talent evaluators.
“Ngongba has turned into a weirdly polarizing player for scouts, with some very strongly appreciating his well-rounded game on both ends and thinking it will translate exceedingly well,” Vecenie wrote. “His lack of vertical explosion, however, gives scouts pause as to how his finishing at the rim will translate. He’s also not a particularly strong defensive rebounder, and scouts wonder whether he can anchor a defense by ending possessions.”
If you’re looking for another reason to give Boston Celtics fans reason for pause, Ngongba’s injury history could be the perfect place to start.
“Ngongba also has a history of foot injuries; he missed the senior year of his high school season with a right foot injury, and he had a left foot injury last fall,” Vecenie noted.
Boston Celtics Have Nikola Vucevic Decision To Make
Nikola Vucevic joined the Celtics at the Feb. 5 trade deadline. He joined Boston following a deal that sent Anfernee Simons to the Chicago Bulls. Unfortunately for Vucevic, a hand injury has kept him sidelined for the past 11 games.
Vucevic is in the final year of his current contract. He will become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. If the Celtics choose to re-sign him to a longer-term deal, Ngongba or any other rookie big man would be unlikely to sit on the Celtics radar come draft night.
Boston has found success in developing bigs over the past few years. With Garza, Queta and Williams, the coaching staff already has its hands full. Therefore, it would make more sense for Boston to seek out a guard or multi-position wing, rather than adding another center to what is already a loaded big man rotation.
Adam Taylor is a basketball reporter covering the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Miami Heat for Heavy. He holds bylines for CelticsBlog, USA Today and Yardbarker. Adam also covers the WWE and AEW. He has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Open University. More about Adam Taylor
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