As a basketball fan, I hate to say this but the NBA season has come to an end. There will be no more basketball until October. It's sad to say but it's the truth. Fear not fans, the NBA Draft is coming soon, so you can watch your favorite team pick the newest generation of NBA players to help their team win a championship. After the NBA Finals, this is what fans look forward to. During the finals, you see tons of sports websites post their projected draft boards on what player goes to what team. The NBA Draft will be on June 23, 2016 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York where the Nets play. As a dedicated Boston Celtics fan, I have some ideas on who the Celtics should select with their many picks. They have three first round picks which is the third, sixteenth, and twenty-third pick. Then they have four second round picks which are the 31st, 35th, 45th, the 51st, and the 58th pick. They have a lot of picks so i will be presenting two players for each pick that i think would be a good choice.

The first pick for the Celtics in the first round is the number three pick. They got this pick from the Nets when they traded away Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Seeing them go was painful, but in the long run it was worth it. With the third pick in the draft, I believe the Celtics should pick Buddy Hield from Oklahoma or international prospect from Croatia, Dragan Bender. Dragan Bender is a power forward who is seven feet tall and weighs about 225 pounds. His strengths are a high basketball IQ, he is very mobile for a player his size, and also he is a good shooter. One of his weaknesses are his interior game on offense and defense. He needs to put on more weight so he doesn't get bullied in the paint. The bigs in the NBA will easily post him up and back him down for a bucket if he doesn't change his weight and interior game. Another weakness of his game is his rebounding. He tends to rely on his length rather than boxing out to get rebounds. This can easily lead to players sneaking past him to get a rebound. He needs to learn to box out more instead of just using his height. Bender has a lot of upside potential but is also one of the biggest mysteries in the draft. He is in the same position that Kristaps Porzingis was in a year ago. Porzingis having a good season this year helps Bender out because they are basically the same player so NBA teams know what they are getting if they draft Bender.

The next option is my favorite player in the draft, Buddy Hield out of Oklahoma. He is a 6'5" 212 pound shooting guard. This player has many strengths and not many weaknesses. Some of his strengths that he is an amazing three point shooter, he can drive to the basket, he is willing to take the big shot, he is a good passer, he can defend, he has a good wingspan, he is a good rebounder, and he can hit his free throws. The only weaknesses that he has are that he is undersized at his position and can be turnover prone. Overall he is the best shooting guard in this draft. The Celtics should draft Buddy Hield over Dragan Bender because the Celtics can always sign or trade for a big man. Buddy Hield's scoring is too good to pass up. The Celtics need a big man who can rebound and finish in the paint and bender isn't that guy.

The next pick the Celtics have is the 16 pick. They should select Brice Johnson from North Carolina or Denzel Valentine from Michigan State. Brice Johnson is a 6'10" 208 pound power forward from the University of North Carolina. Some of Brice's strengths are that he is an elite athlete, he can score around the basket consistently and in different ways, he can run the floor, he can shoot mid range to stretch his game out, he is a great rebounder as shown in March Madness, he can shoot free throws, and is a good shot blocker. Some of his weaknesses are he needs to be stronger and have more size, he might have difficulty guarding bulkier players in the paint, he can be foul prone at times, and he needs to box out more. Overall, I believe Brice will be a reliable big man in the NBA. Next is 6'5" 210 pound shooting guard out of Michigan State, Denzel Valentine. He was the Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Player of the year. Some of his strengths are that he is versatile, he is an excellent passer, he has great court vision, he can shoot threes at an efficient pace, he is a good rebounder, and he is a very good free throw shooter. Some of his weaknesses are that he needs to work on his defense, he doesn't have lateral quickness, and he need s to be more explosive going to the rim. Denzel can be a good shooting guard in the league given the right opportunity. Brice Johnson would be a great fit for the Celtics his rebounding and defense would greatly help the Celtics.

The last pick that the Celtics have in the first round is the 23rd pick. The Celtics should pick Thon Maker or Michael Gbinije. Thon Maker is a power forward that is 7'1" and weighs 216 pounds and he is from Canada. He is a very controversial pick because he is basically coming out of high school and going straight to the draft. His strengths are he has incredible height and decent length, he is athletic and and agile, he can be a good shooter if he works on it, and he has defensive upside. Some weaknesses are that he is coming out of high school so he will face different competition, he needs to be stronger, he needs to work on decision making and fundamentals, and he hasn't shown much improvement. Taking Thon Maker in the draft will be a huge risk teams will be have to be willing to take. Next is Michael Gbinije from Syracuse University. He is a 6'6" shooting guard who weighs 204 pounds. He helped lead Syracuse to the final four before losing to North Carolina. His strengths include being a good facilitator, he is versatile, he is a good defender, and he is a good three point shooter. His weaknesses are that he needs to be bigger and stronger and he needs to be a better free throw shooter. The Celtics should take Michael Gbinije because he is a more proven player than Thon Maker. Also in case the Celtics trade away Marcus Smart or Avery Bradley Michael Gbinije would be a great replacement. If the Celtics make these picks they will have a solid first round.

I'm not going to go into much detail, I'm just going to say who the Celtics should select. In the second round, the Celtics have the 31st, 35th, 45th, 51st, and 58th pick. With the 31st pick, the Celtics should pick Malcolm Brogdon from Virginia. He is a shooting guard that is 6'5" and weighs 223 pounds. His strengths are he is a great leader, he is the best defender in the draft that can guard multiple positions, he is a great free throw shooter, and he is a good passer and facilitator. His weaknesses are that he is not really quick and that he needs to work more with his left hand. He will be a great defensive player in this league. He could also be brought into Boston to replace Marcus Smart or Avery Bradley.

With the 35th pick in the draft, the Celtics should pick Demetrius Jackson out of Notre Dame. He is a 6'1" point guard that weighs 193 pounds. His strengths are that he is quick, strong, has a great wingspan, and is a good defender. His weaknesses are his lack of size and that he is still learning how to be a point guard. With other defensive guards, Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart as mentors, Demetrius Jackson can develop into a reliable point guard. The next pick would be the 45th pick. The Celtics should take Yogi Ferrell. He is a 6'1" 180 pound point guard out of Indiana University. His strengths are that he has a great basketball IQ, he is a good facilitator, and he is a great three point shooter. His weaknesses are his size, he has trouble finishing at the rim, and he might have trouble guarding bigger guards. He can learn a lot from Isaiah Thomas as he is a undersized point guard as well.

The Celtics should draft Kyle Wiltjer with their 51st pick in the draft. He is a 6'10" power forward out of Gonzaga that weighs 242 pounds. His strengths are that he is a great three point and free throw shooter, he is smart and has an amazing post up game. His weaknesses are that he is a below average athlete and that he can struggle defensively. He can play the Steve Novak role for the Celtics to come off the bench and hit some threes to help the team get going. The last pick the Celtics have is the 58th pick in the draft, which is should be Ron Baker. He is a 6'4" shooting guard out of Wichita State that weighs 212 pounds. His strengths are that he is a big time competitor, he has a high basketball IQ, he is a good shooter, a solid passer, and a great teammate. His weaknesses are his size and he is not an NBA-level athlete.With some help from the Celtics, Ron can become a reliable option off the bench.

With the draft coming soon, the Celtics have a lot of decisions to choose from. Whether to draft players or to trade, these picks for players will help them immediately win that 18th championship they are looking for. I just hope that they draft the right players in the draft or to use the right trade package to get good players to add to their team. My suggestion is to trade for Jimmy Butler, Paul George, or Jahlil Okafor. To see what the Celtics do with their draft picks and also what the other teams do with their draft picks tune into ESPN on June 23 to see the NBA Draft.