The Celtics selected Gonzaga forward Anton Watson with the 54th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. This was their second and final selection.
The 23-year-old Watson played five years of college basketball at Gonzaga, after also attending Gonzaga Prep. He was the 11th-ranked small forward in the nation in 2019, and a consensus 4-Star recruit.
The 6’8” Watson played 151 games in college, starting in every game he played his final two years. The 2023-2024 season proved to be his best overall campaign, averaging 14.5 points-per-game on just over 41 percent from beyond the arc. However, he shot only 30.7 percent from three in his college career and a poor 62.7 percent from the free throw line.
Pre-draft, Watson was hailed as a plus defender with NBA traits. In his “shades of…” section, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor said Watson has qualities of “Old Al Horford,” a player the Celtics have grown to value in recent years. However, Watson’s burst and switchability are questionable for a modern NBA forward. While he had some success guarding larger bigs such as Purdue’s Zach Edey, it’s unclear if that success will translate to the NBA.
In any case, it’s unlikely Watson will play much or at all in the 2024-25 NBA season, with the Celtics roster still stacked with topflight talent coming off the franchise’s 18th Championship, something President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens has stated openly.
The Celtics once again targeted a tall, physical wing with defensive traits and shooting flashes and/or upside. First Round pick Baylor Scheierman is an elite shooter with real size that could lead to defensive growth, and last year’s Second Round pick Jordan Walsh possesses many of the same traits and limitations as Watson: shooting flashes but a lack of offensive creativity or consistency paired with real defensive abilities.
The Celtics will likely have all three spend significant time with the Maine Celtics to see how their three-and-D qualities develop before deciding which — if any — might crack the regular rotation.
