Who will emerge from pack of recent Celtics draft picks?
Voting is officially open for NBC Sports Boston's annual "20 Under 25" lists. Here are the Celtics' nine candidates, ranked based on their potential impact in Boston.
Don't let the additions of Tristan Thompson and Jeff Teague fool you. The Boston Celtics still belong to the kids.
We're talking, of course, about Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown: two No. 3 overall picks who have become Boston's two best players before their 25th birthdays. (Tatum turned 22 in March; Brown turned 24 in October.)
But the Celtics' youth movement extends beyond their dynamic duo. Nine of the 18 players on the current roster are south of 25, while 13 C's have three years of NBA experience or less.
That's a pretty green bunch, and if Boston expects to be a serious title contender, it will need its young players whose names don't begin with "Jay" to step up -- especially with Kemba Walker sidelined to start the season.
Who might rise to the challenge, you ask? We ranked the nine Celtics players eligible for our "20 Under 25" series (you can vote here) based on their current or potential impact in Boston.
You can probably guess the top two.
Surprise! It only took three seasons for Tatum to ascend to the best player on the Celtics and a top-15 player in the NBA.
As if his All-Star 2019-20 campaign wasn't enough, Tatum lit up the postseason by averaging 24.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per night. He also earned a handful of All-Defensive Second Team votes, proving he's much more than a No. 1 scorer.
We won't belabor the point. Tatum is under contract until at least 2024 after signing a maximum contract extension and is the face of the franchise until further notice.
Click here to rank the Celtics in our 20 Under 25 survey!
If we told you last year that Brown would be the second-best player on a title contender, you wouldn't have believed us. But the 24-year-old blossomed following the departures of Kyrie Irving, Al Horford, Terry Rozier and Marcus Morris, averaging career highs in points (20.3), rebounds (6.4) and shooting percentage (48.1).
If Brown takes even a small step forward in 2020-21, he should be an All-Star. But he has the potential to be one of the league's best two-way forwards and follow a similar trajectory that Kawhi Leonard took to NBA stardom.
Click here to rank the Celtics in our 20 Under 25 survey!
Surprised to see Langford ranked this high? We don't blame you. The Celtics' No. 14 overall pick was a virtual nonfactor as a rookie, averaging just 11.6 minutes over 32 games. When he wasn't injured, he often looked tentative on the court.
But if we're talking potential, the 21-year-old has the most upside on this list outside Tatum and Brown. He was a five-star recruit out of high school and led all Big Ten freshman in scoring during his lone season at Indiana.
If Langford can shake the injury bug, he has the skill set to be a solid two-way guard who could be a future starter in Boston.
Click here to rank the Celtics in our 20 Under 25 survey!
Our Chris Forsberg tabbed Williams as the young player outside Tatum and Brown who could have the biggest impact this season -- and with good reason.
The Tennessee product began his rookie campaign 0-for-25 from 3-point range but went 10-for-17 in the playoffs, a testament to how much he improved his game.
He's a bit undersized at 6-foot-6 but held his own as a versatile frontcourt defender last season and could be a regular contributor in Boston's big man rotation alongside Tristan Thompson, Daniel Theis and ...
Click here to rank the Celtics in our 20 Under 25 survey!
... The Time Lord. Williams' 3.2 blocks per 36 minutes would have ranked third in the NBA last season had he not appeared in just 29 games, below the qualifying threshold.
That's been the story of Williams' two-year career to date: immense upside but far-too-infrequent production.
The 23-year-old can be a key rotation player this season if he can stay on the court. If he fails to deliver in Year Three? He may not be long for Boston considering he has a team option for the 2021-22 season.
Click here to rank the Celtics in our 20 Under 25 survey!
Nesmith's greatest asset is his outside shot, which can get you very far in today's NBA. (See: Robinson, Duncan.) The right foot injury that required surgery in January is cause for minor concern, but if that doesn't hamper him, Nesmith could be a second-unit spark plug by season's end.
The 21-year-old might be higher on this list next December, but we'll temper expectations until he steps on an NBA court.
Click here to rank the Celtics in our 20 Under 25 survey!
Pritchard should be NBA-ready after four seasons as Oregon's starting point guard. That's a good thing, because he may be forced into early minutes with Walker out to begin the season.
Pritchard combines a well-rounded offensive skill set with a relentless motor and could shape up to be good value for Boston as the No. 26 overall pick.
History isn't on his side, though, as Rozier is the only non-lottery pick to make any real impact on the Celtics in the past decade.
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The Maine Red Claws bowing out of the G-League season would be a tough blow for Waters, who was the developmental league's Rookie of the Year in 2019-20.
The 22-year-old has exceeded expectations as the No. 51 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, but he'll have a hard time finding minutes in a backcourt of Walker, Marcus Smart, Pritchard and Carsen Edwards.
Edwards was all the rage after shooting the lights out during the 2019 preseason. Then the regular season started, and the Purdue product played fewer than 10 minutes per night.
If Edwards can regain his stroke and be serviceable defensively, he could find a way into Boston's rotation. But he seems to be on the outside looking in right now.
