Boston Celtics Take ‘Wrecking Ball’ Forward In Latest Mock Draft

The Boston Celtics will head into the offseason armed with their own draft pick. Brad Stevens has been highly successful when identifying talent late in the first round, with both Baylor Scheierman and Hugo Gonzalez playing key roles this season.

Therefore, Celtics fans may be excited to see who Stevens chooses to take with Boston’s 2026 late-first-round pick. Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor predicts the Celtics will select Morez Johnson out of Michigan in his latest mock draft.

“Michigan is filled with so much star power that Johnson is the guy who often gets overlooked nationally,” O’Connor wrote. “He’s a 250-pound wrecking ball with surprisingly soft hands and the defensive IQ to guard 1 through 5 in a switch-heavy scheme. And he makes constant plays beyond the box score with bone-crushing screens, full-court sprints and high-IQ rotations that blow up the opponent’s action.”

O’Connor continued.

“The Celtics have targeted team-first guys like Johnson in recent years, so he’d fit the profile here after proving himself as the connective tissue of the best team in the country. He isn’t quite big enough to be a true center and not yet proven enough as a shooter to guarantee he spaces the floor. But the Celtics can be patient and are proving to have a strong developmental program to help resolve any concerns.”

Johnson has enjoyed a strong season with Michigan. In 38 games (all as a starter), he’s averaging 13.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists, shooting 65.8% from two-point range and 36.4% from deep on one attempt per game.

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Johnson Would Face Competition on the Celtics

Johnson wouldn’t be walking into an easy situation with the Celtics. Joe Mazzulla’s team already has a loaded forward rotation. Johnson would face competition from Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Sam Hauser, Jordan Walsh, Gonzales, Scheierman and Ron Harper Jr.

However, there’s no guarantee Boston’s roster looks the same heading into next season. Stevens could make some roster moves that open up a viable path toward playing time, especially if Walsh and Harper Jr. find themselves on new teams next season.

Even if Johnson spends next season with the Maine Celtics in the G League, there is still a viable pathway forward. The Celtics have made solid use of their developmental connection with Maine in recent years.

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Celtics Could Trade Sam Hauser

According to Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz, the Celtics could float Sam Hauser in trade discussions this summer more than any other player.

“Assuming the Boston Celtics keep their core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White moving forward, Sam Hauser is the next priciest part of the rotation,” Swartz wrote. “His $10.8 million salary for next year doesn’t chew up much of the cap sheet. Although, it could be used to help match money in a potential deal for another star.”

Swartz continued.

“With younger, cheaper forwards on the roster like Baylor Scheierman, Hugo González and Jordan Walsh, the 28-year-old Hauser may be the most likely player to hit the trade block if the Celtics like what they see from the young core.”

Hauser is one of the best shooters in the NBA. It’s hard to envision Boston parting ways with him unless they believe Scheierman can sustainably replace his production. Either way, if Boston drafts another forward, changes will have to be made.

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