Celtics #27 draft pick - Pt. 4 - a look at C/F Omari Spellman
Omari is projected to be drafted somewhere in the 20's in the upcoming NBA draft. A few mock drafts have him being taken much later. He is an active big man who already has an NBA-ready body, although there will be some questions about his ability to keep off the excess weight.
Spellman has a reliable outside shot, hitting 48% on field goals and 43% on three-pointers. He could use some work on his free throws where he hits 70%. His length may allow him to play both power forward and center in the NBA, and he should be able to hold his own under the hoop. The following is via NBADraft.net:
For being 260 pounds, Spellman is very active, nimble and versatile on his feet … On the offensive end, he is always moving from the baseline to the top of the key … Always setting screens, picking and popping/rolling, rebounding, putting the ball on the deck, posting up or shooting from the outside; Always doing something ...… Spellman creates mismatches on bigger defenders by his quickness, lateral movement, ranging outside the paint and tremendous ability to stretch the floor and open the lane for teammates … His rebounding was as aggressive as anyone in the Big East, averaging 8.0 rebounds per game and crashing the boards equally effectively on the offensive and defensive end … He played some of the best defense against top big men in the Big East and stood his own, while becoming Villanova’s premier rim protector with 1.5 blocks per game … When he got pressured on the outside, his vision was good enough to make big plays and keep the offense flowing with good passes …
The Celtics always look for versatility in a potential draft pick, and Spellman has that quality. Plus his length and strength will allow him to play at the center position where Boston may be short-handed this coming season. His defense, rebounding, rim protection and outside shooting, paired with his size, may be too much for the Celtics to bypass if he is still on the board at the 27th pick.
Should Celtics take C/F Omari Spellman with the 27th draft pick?
— Tom Lane (@TomLaneHC) June 5, 2018
Follow Tom at @TomLaneHC
Photo via Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Video via Frankie Vistion
