Final Prediction For C’s 3rd Pick

With less than an hour to the 2017 NBA Draft, there are still a lot of question marks surrounding the Boston Celtics and what they will or won't do with their third overall pick. 

After all the rumors and hearsay about the C's liking certain players and potentially looking to trade with the likes of the Knicks and T-Wolves to help secure a more legitimate star, like Kristaps Porzingis, I say they stand pat and make a selection with pick number three.

Since they traded back from the first overall selection, the conversation has been centered on the team taking one of the two top swing forwards in the draft; Kansas' Josh Jackson and Duke's Jayson Tatum.

Though most of the immediate post trade chatter seemed to be focused on the C's taking Jackson with that third pick, the 20-year-old has refused multiple invitations from the team to workout for the privately, which can only hurt his standing with the team.

On the other hand, Tatum did come in for a private workout on Monday, just after the team officially finalized their trade of the top pick to Philadelphia. The workout reportedly went really well, with Tatum showing off his shooting ability and fancy footwork capabilities.

I say the C's will take Tatum at three, even though Jackson seems to be a hot commodity that has picked up quite the bit of steam among teams over the past few weeks.

My pick isn't solely based on the fact that Tatum worked out for the team and Jackson didn't. While that most certainly played a factor in my decision, I look more at the fact that Tatum is a much more polished, ready-to-produce, scoring threat, which is something the C's truly need.

Outside of Isaiah Thomas, the Celtics are extremely limited offensively and have been for a while now. They have been solid on defense, however.

So what should they do? Add a player with solid all-around skills, but who's more of a defensive presence right away like Jackson? Or, take a guy slightly less hyped, but who can also play well on both sides of the ball and adds a much greater threat on offense than other options in the draft or currently on the Boston roster?

I say they finally address their offensive deficiencies by taking Tatum.

He might not be the flashy pick, but he might just be the pick that helps bring some offensive help to IT and company.