Celtics GM Danny Ainge Discusses #1 Pick

Speaking on a conference call, following the announcement that the Boston Celtics had secured the number one pick in the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery, Celtics' GM Danny Ainge discussed the good fortune. 

According to Ainge, it was true joy in the team office, as the team was awarded the top pick.

"I had about seven of my staff that were here in the office," Ainge said, when asked about the team's celebration of the announcement. "They just, in my opinion, sort of overreacted, even. It was a very loud and exciting celebration that went on in the office when we got the number one envelope.

"Everyone was jumping up on top of everybody and very, very excited."

Ainge was hit with a litany of questions during the conference call, including inquiries regarding whom the C's might take with the first overall selection.

"We're going to draft whoever we feel can help the Celtics, regardless of where the players want to play," Ainge said, regarding the C's thought process, especially on Lonzo Ball whose father has stated a desire for his son to play in LA.

"We're looking for the best player," Ainge went on to say. "I think that we have a handful of players in mind that we would really like to evaluate more."

With a couple of the top overall prospects in the draft being point guards, in Washington's Markelle Fultz and UCLA's Ball, Ainge was asked about the thought process of potentially bringing one of them in with Isaiah Thomas already manning the point in Boston.

Ainge began by shooting down any thought that Thomas will have a say in the team's decision making process, when it comes to potentially taking either Fultz or Ball.

When asked by 1420 WBSM about the whether he had given serious thought to coupling Thomas with one of the young point guards coming out of the draft this year, the Boston GM seemed amenable to the idea.

"I have thought about (coupling one of the point guards with Thomas)," Ainge said. "I've thought about that with all of the players, not just point guards, and how do they fit in with our current core and so forth.

"The beauty of Isaiah is he can play any style of basketball and he's been terrific off the ball, when Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier have helped in ball handling responsibilities. We have a five man that plays the point center sometimes and Isaiah plays off the ball, but, you know, the point guards in this draft are bigger point guards. You know, bigger than even our 2-guards or taller than our small forwards, in some cases, so you know they are big guards that are in this draft and that makes it much easier as a fit."

At any rate, all of Celtics Nation will have to wait a bit until they know for sure what direction the C's will go with this top pick. Could they pick one of Ball or Fultz? Could they take someone else? Could they pull off a blockbuster deal? Only time will tell.