2019 NBA Draft: Full Mock Draft 2.0, Atlanta Hawks Pick #4 and #10, Lakers Win Lottery
By Chris Guest
#20. Boston Celtics (via LA Clippers) – Nickeil Alexander-Walker
With the team’s third pick of the first round in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics will be looking to nab a replacement for Terry Rozier, who will likely be on his way out to another team via restricted free agency.
By taking Nickeil Alexander-Walker out of Virginia Tech, the Celtics will be getting a crafty and quick guard with good size and length (6-foot-5, 210 pounds, 6-foot-9 wingspan) that helped lead the Hokies to a Sweet Sixteen appearance this past season.
Alexander-Walker, a cousin of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Clippers, was named to the All-ACC team last year due to a striking statistical profile. NAW finished with per-game averages of 16.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.5 blocks per College Basketball Reference. His 3.4 percent steal rate was in the Top 75 in the country according to KenPom.
What do the Celtics love? Under the careful gaze of Danny Ainge, the C’s have become a versatile guard/wing creation factory, and the team has developed Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum into extremely effective players throughout their tenure with Boston.
With that same approach, Nickeil Alexander-Walker could be the next in that lineage to help lead the Celtics to yet more postseason success.