Brad Stevens is picking up where Danny Ainge left off.
For the second straight year, the Celtics selected a young international guard in the NBA Draft, with the apparent plan to stash him overseas for a couple seasons. The Celtics took 18-year-old French prospect Juhann Begarin with the No. 45 overall pick.
They traded their first-round pick, No. 16 overall, to the Oklahoma City Thunder last month as part of the Kemba Walker trade.
Begarin, who didn't play college ball, has already played two professional seasons in his native country. He was the 2019 MVP of Basketball Without Borders Europe, and trained in the same program that helped produce retired NBA stars Tony Parker and Boris Diaw.
"A big strong versatile guard who can guard up," said Brad Stevens, via the AP. "He's a guy we think at his age and his body and his physical ability and the way he works and the time he's put in so far, he's gonna have a really good career ahead of him."
Last year, the Celtics took 19-year-old Israeli guard Yam Madar in the second round. He will participate in the Vegas Summer League next month, marking his first time playing ball in the States.
Without a first-round pick, the chances of the Celtics drafting somebody who could help them this year were slim. As the offseason rolls on, Stevens' top priority remains acquiring more pieces to compliment Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
