A decade of drafts: Every NBA team's best draft picks and biggest flop over the past 10 years
By Matt Sidney
Boston Celtics
Best first-round selection: 2017 - 3rd pick, Jayson Tatum, SF/PF
This one is easy but not as easy as you might think. Jaylen Brown has a serious case to be presented here, but we are taking Jayson Tatum. Tatum is a fringe top-5 talent with the tools to become THE best player in the league, and he was just a key to the Boston Celtics winning the 2024 NBA Championship.
Best second-round selection: 2016 - 58th pick, Abdel Nader, SG/SF
Abdel Nader gets the nod here simply because of the lack of success second-round picks on the Celtics have had over the years. He hit threes and brought energy. Other than that, he was essentially an afterthought. Unfortunately, Nader only played one season with the Celtics before he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Biggest draft-flop: 2019 - 14th pick, Romeo Langford, SG/SF
Romeo Langford had the physical intangibles that teams dream of. He was athletic, long, and relatively unpolished. Langford was oozing with potential, however after being moved to the Spurs for Derrick White, Langford is now looking for a roster spot. Tough place to be after being a former lottery pick.