Do Boston Celtics have a first-round pick in 2024 NBA Draft?

Fresh off winning the championship, the Boston Celtics find themselves in a rare position. Next week, they'll be able to add a new young talent to the roster via the NBA draft.

In today's NBA, first-round picks are constantly trading hands. Especially contenders, who often sacrifice long-term upside to try and secure win-now pieces. However, since some of their core is homegrown, the Celtics find themselves with draft capital at their disposal.

The Boston Celtics will make one selection in the first round of the 2024 NBA draft. It will be the final selection of that round, coming in at No. 30.

Seeing that their window of contention is wide open right now, Boston could go one of two routes with this pick. It could keep it and hope to find a prospect who can play for the team right away. The other option is trading the pick in hopes of securing a rotation piece.

While the Celtics have argubaly the best starting five in the league, depth can be seen as one of their weak points. It might be a gamble, but selecting at No. 30 might be their best best. With so much money tied up in their core, they need cheap options at the back end of their roster.

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Boston Celtics select Tyler Kolek in latest NBA mock draft

Leading up to the NBA draft, mock drafts are put regularly as analysts try to give their predicitions on how things will play out. In his latest installment, draft expert Jonathan Wasserman has the Boston Celtics selecting Tyler Kolek with the No. 30 pick.

Standing at 6-foot-3, 182 pounds, Kolek is slightly undersized. That said, one thing he could bring to the Celtics is experience. While it's an unlikely route for prospects now, Kolek spent four years in college. He spent his freshman year at George Mason before playing his last three seasons at Marquette.

During his senior year, Kolek showed his potential as a scorer and playmaker. Across 31 games, he averaged 15.3 points and 7.7 assists. Kolek can also take his game beyond the arc, shooting 38.8% on four attempts per game.

Despite having a smaller frame, Kolek does put in a lot of effort on the defensive end. However, he'll likely never be more than a back-up at the NBA level.

At 23 years old, Kolek is a prospect who could play right away for the Boston Celtics. With his strong outside shooting, he could likely play either guard position. This would give Boston another option off the bench when Jrue Holiday and/or Derrick White are resting.

Kolek is far from a flashy prospect, but could be a low-cost plug-and-play option for the Celtics at the end of their rotation.