New cohort of projected prospects to the Celtics arrive with Early Entry deadline passage

With the passing of the 2021 NBA draft’s deadline for Early Entry prospects to pull out of the coming annual event and still retain their NCAA eligibility on July 7, a clearer picture of who will be taken where begins to come into focus.

Particularly later in the second round where the Boston Celtics will potentially make their only current selection of the 2021 draft, having dealt away their No. 16 overall pick in the deal moving on from starting point guard Kemba Walker. And with that clarity comes a crop of new mock drafts with a new group of players one of whom may well end up in a Celtics uniform on opening day next season.

Let’s take a look at the field of projected candidates for Boston’s No. 45 pick.

ESPN, Bleacher Report - Kessler Edwards - Pepperdine - forward

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A 6-foot-8 junior who shot 37.8% from deep and 87.6% from the free-throw line, Kessler can protect the rim a bit and is a surprisingly well-rounded player for how deep in the second round he is projected in most mocks. A favorite of both ESPN's Jonathan Givony and B/R's Jonathan Wasserman, the Rancho Cucamonga put up 17.2 points and 6.8 rebounds last season.

For The Win - Joe Wieskamp - Iowa - wing

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Standing at 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, the Iowa wing stuck a sizzling 46.2% of his treys in 2020-21 while scoring 14.8 points and pulling down 6.6 boards per contest. "Iowa’s Joe Wieskamp was one of the biggest winners at the combine, impressing not only as a standout in the scrimmages but also as someone who might be more athletic than many realized," relates FTW's Byan Kalbrosky.

Rookie Wire - Luka Garza - Iowa - center

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One of college basketball's most popular players, Garza is oddly projected late in the second round despite connecting on 44% of his 3s on his way to putting up 24.1 points, 8.7 boards, 1.7 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game with Iowa last season. Standing at 6-foot-11, the Washington D.C. native's biggest knocks are his age (22), lack of athleticism, and difficulty defending the pick and roll.

NBADraft.Net - B.J. Boston - Kentucky - wing

AP Photo/James Crisp

Boston has been linked to the Celtics previously by Kalbrosky of our sister site FTW, but as a first before the 6-foot-7 shooting guard's stock fell even further. Once seen as a top recruit who has failed to impress since making the leap to the NCAAs, he fits the profile of draft picks under Danny Ainge, but will the Kentucky product appeal to new team president Brad Stevens?

Tankathon - Herbert Jones - Alabama - forward

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Another 6-foot-7 wing, Jones has a 7-foot wingspan and defended well for Alabama while logging 11.2 points, 6.6 boards, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. He's not especially accurate from deep (35.1%) or the line (70.3%) nor an especially proficient scorer, but could be an interesting depth option for Boston's rotation.

Sam Vecenie - Austin Reaves - Oklahoma - wing

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We leave you with Vecenie's choice for the Celtics' second-rounder, a 6-foot-5 wing out of Oklahoma. A bit old at 23 and a lousy 3-point shot against higher levels of competition, one has to wonder if there's something there with his 45.1% 3-point rate before he transferred from Wichita State. He moves the ball and rebounds well for his position, and might be able to slot right into Boston's deep rotation. This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook! [lawrence-related id=53598,53536,53501,53456] [listicle id=53632]

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