It's great to be a Celtics fan right now you could say. Between the epic win in game 7 against Washington, winning the draft lottery and somehow stealing a game against the Cavs (we won't talk about games 1,2, and 4 those are for another day). Instead, lets focus on what's coming after this series and that is the NBA Draft. I've heard people say trade the pick and people say keep it. While I can see what both sides are saying, I feel like the obvious thing to do is keep the pick and you draft Markelle Fultz out of Washington and here's why. The kid is an offensive stud and boy can he score (averaged 23.2 ppg while shooting 47.5 % from the field and 41% from 3). Those stats are real good especially coming from a freshman and you don't trade away the chance to get that.

As mentioned in my first point, Fultz can score plain and simple. Just take a look for yourselves (and he plays defense!):

When you look at Fultz's play, you can't help but be in awe with how he scores whether its the nice jump shot or his ability to get to the hoop. He showed great instincts in the pick-and-roll, proved he could create his own offense off the dribble, and flashed the ability to make game-changing plays on the defensive end which is something the Celtics lacked. Our guards could either do one or the other but none could do both so with Fultz being able to bring that kind of talent to this team will be a great asset to have. Along with his scoring, this is something the Celtics DESPERATELY need. When Isiah Thomas is off the floor, the offense struggles no question. Boston owns an offensive rating of 113.7 with Thomas on the court this year, a number that would rank it ahead of the league-leading Golden State Warriors (112.9) if maintained. But that number plummets to 98.4 without Thomas, or two points worse than the 30th-ranked Philadelphia 76ers (100.4) which means we essentially score 15 less points without him on the court. Having a scorer like Fultz can easily solve this problem and will make coach Stevens feel a little better having Isiah off the court since he knows he has a scorer out there not name Isiah Thomas. Speaking of Isiah, I've heard people also say 'oh he can't play with Isiah! They're both guards!' That's where people are wrong. Isiah has even said "He's excited. I mean, he obviously doesn't know where he's going, but he's excited about the opportunity. He asks questions; I answer them. He's a good friend of mine. If it happens, we'll figure out how to play together". Thomas is not worried whatsoever about playing with Fultz and as he shouldn't be! Thomas could even be enormously beneficial for his development. Next to IT, Fultz would need to have greater focus defensively (insert Bradley to help teach him) and master getting to certain spots on the floor where he can be a standstill shooter. That’s going to help him become a more complete player in the long run when he’s running the show and it's going to be scary how good he'll be with all that he learns when that time comes.

Then you have people who would want you to trade the pick b/c of the return you could get. While I'm sure it could be great (Jimmy Butler or Paul George for example), the talent that Fultz can bring to the table is not worth giving up unless it's for these players: Anthony Davis, Karl Anthony-Towns, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, they aren't going anywhere which is why you keep the pick. If you had anything but 1, then sure trade it for a George or Butler but since you have the top pick and if you'd want to trade it, why not dream big? But like I said they aren't going anywhere and you can't pass on a guy who can change your franchise for the next 10-15 years instead of right now. George has a well-documented fascination with Los Angeles and only one year under contract. Butler has two team-friendly years under his current deal before he’s owed a massive contract that would buy out his age 30-35 seasons. Neither player is likely to put the Celtics over the top against the Golden State Warriors. Both of them might not even be enough to do that. Instead, the Celtics should focus on using their cap space to sign a star this summer, with Gordon Hayward and Blake Griffin being the two most likely candidates. Even if they miss on both, Boston knows it still has a final-four-caliber team with even more talent coming down the pipeline. They also own the rights to the Nets’ 2018 pick as ammunition for a trade for someone of the likes of George or Butler.

So at the end of the day, please Danny Ainge make the right decsion and draft Fultz. He's what this team needs and that is a secondary scorer and is your next guy for the future. When (if?) LeBron James finally starts to decline and the Warriors’ core begins to show its age, Boston is primed to be the NBA’s next title contender. Fultz is that good. The Celtics are known for having the most retired numbers in the NBA. No. 19 is retired for Don Nelson, and No. 21 is retired for Bill Sharman. If Fultz is as good as he looks at this point, his No. 20 will be up there one day, too.