Celtics select Jordan Mickey with the No. 33 pick in 2015 NBA Draft
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The Boston Celtics selected LSU power forward Jordan Mickey with the No. 33 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft on Thursday night.
Shot-blocking doesn't always come from the center position. A 6-foot-8 power forward, Mickey was masterful at turning away shots in his two seasons at LSU, erasing 5.7 percent of opposing 2-point field goal attempts. His 7-foot-3.25 wingspan helps a great deal in that regard, and should allow him to prove a versatile defender in the NBA.
What Mickey is not is an offensive weapon. He didn't score much for the Tigers, even on a pace-adjusted basis, and his primary move is a jump-hook he got off by reaching out over smaller college defenders. He doesn't have the range of a stretch-four or the strength of an undersized center, but in the second round at No. 33, it's tough to argue with a singularly talented rejection specialist.
It looks like Boston liked what they saw and got what they wanted Thursday after bringing both Mickey and first-round selection Terry Rozier back for further workouts.
Boston had two surprise guys in for second workouts: Rozier and LSU's Jordan Mickey.
— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) June 26, 2015
The Celtics figure to be active on the free-agent and/or trade front, and drafting Mickey bolsters their frontcourt.