NBA Draft 2016: 5 teams in desperate need of a good draft

#3 Boston Celtics (Requirement: Power Forward)

Will Danny Ainge decide to build throught the draft with a plethora of picks at his disposal

The Celtics have come a long way under Brad Stevens. From under .500 and barely making it to the playoff rounds to being in the top four seeds in the East, Stevens has time and again received loud applause from rival coaches for his tactical mindset. Defense is what keep Stevens and the Celtics ticking. They have shown that this season, playing to the strengths of Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart and Jae Crowder, all of who are known to hound ball-handlers and 3-point shooters.

The Celtics will undoubtedly look to come out even more tighter at the back, stingy in giving away points next season. Stevens is fairly new to the trade, just his third year at the Celtics, but the 39-year-old who is already drawing comparisons to Spurs coach and legend Gregg Popovich needs to make some bold decisions before the start of the season if he intends on adding credibility to that parity.

Jared Sullinger enters restricted free agency and walking away from him seems to be a hard thing to do given that he is effective against most teams if not all, but is perhaps the right decision. Celtics fans and pundits are crying out for a strong, healthy rim protector and an upgrade on the power forward. Endowed with three picks in the first rounds and an additional five in second, the Celtics have their work cut out and the draft order presents plenty of opportunities to draft an offensive player or two.

With the third pick in the in their bag, Boston can look at snapping up Dragan Bender, or wait for their 16th or 23rd draft pick and pursue the 7-foot, 19-year-old Sudanese-Australian, Thon Maker or 6-foot-10, Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis. In Thon Maker, Boston Celtics could have an energetic battler – he can rebound, is a shot-blocker and can play on the perimeter as well, but Thon’s inexperience at college basketball thanks to his unconventional path to the drafts (a loophole in the early entry rules, allowed him to spend an extra year in prep-school and enter the drafts) would pose a threat to his selection.

The best fit and direct replacement for Sullinger and an answer to the Celtics’ problems is Domantas Sabonis. The big Lithuanian pipped to be a contemporary forward is defensively sturdy, faster on the break and could potentially be an upgrade on Sullinger, costing ten times less money.