ESPN's final NBA mock draft has Celtics taking another "Jay" in first round
BOSTON -- Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been an incredible duo for the Celtics throughout their careers. Known as "The Jays," Tatum and Brown are on top of the NBA world right now after bringing Boston its 18th NBA championship.
So no one would blame Celtics president of basketball ops. Brad Stevens if he looks to bring in even more "Jays" during the NBA Draft, as ESPN is predicting in its latest and final mock draft. Stevens has yet to make a first-round pick as the head honcho in Boston, but ESPN's Jonathan Givony has the C's taking California swingman Jaylon Tyson with the 30th overall pick on Wednesday night.
Givony believes Tyson could be a "potential rotational wing with skill" for Boston, which will be important for Stevens and company down the road as the Celtics deal with penalties for being a second apron team. The 21-year-old Tyson is 6-foot-7 and averaged a career-best 19.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game last season for Cal. He shot 46.5 percent overall and 36 percent from downtown for the Golden Bears.
If Stevens does take Tyson or anyone else at No. 30 (or earlier), it would mark the first time Boston has made a first-round pick since 2020.
But "Jays" work best in pairs, so ESPN has the Celtics taking Jalen Bridges of Baylor at No. 55 in the second round on Thursday. While he's missing a "y" somewhere in his first name, it still counts in our book.
The Celtics would have really cornered the market on NBA "Jays" should this ESPN mock come to fruition, though the Oklahoma City Thunder -- with both Jaylin Williams and Jalen Williams on the roster -- would be a close second.