The Boston Celtics are picking 27th in the NBA draft, which is happening over two days, on June 23 and 24. Historically, the late 20s is a tough place to find good NBA talent, Which is probably why the Celtics had no problem attaching picks in that area to trades during the beginning of Brad Stevens’ tenure as President of Basketball Operations. But the Celtics have done pretty well in that area in the past two drafts. Hugo Gonzalez, picked 28th last year, looks like a big hit. And Baylor Scheierman, the 30th pick in 2024, could be a starter next season. If you look hard enough, there are diamonds in the rough to be found. There's a lot of business to be done this offseason, so it’s still no guarantee the Celtics will even make this selection. With Jayson Tatum coming back fully healthy next season to join Jaylen Brown on a title hunt, the Celtics could easily go back to attaching this pick to a trade that helps them right away, rather than go through the development process. At the same time, this is also a chance to potentially snag a key rotation piece for the future and have a player spend time in Boston’s vaunted player development system, learning from the best until he’s ready to contribute on his own. The key thing to look for at this stage of the draft is one NBA-ready skill, with the potential to develop the rest. With that in mind, here’s a look at some possibilities for Boston at the 27th pick. Koa Peat Apr 3, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) during a practice session ahead of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch-Imagn ImagesF/C, 6-7, 245, 6-11 wingspan, 19 years oldThe Celtics could grab a distressed commodity in Peat, who shot horribly at the draft combine and has been slipping down mock drafts since. There are some questions about whether he’ll return to Arizona because of it, with a chance to make around $5 million in NIL money versus the $2-something million in that stage of the draft. Peat is a power player who can screen well and find open teammates. He’s not the most explosive athlete in the world, but he has enough to exploit some mismatches. He’s a good cutter and rebounder, so it’s easy to envision him fitting into a decent role in a Joe Mazzulla offense. Except … He’s a non-shooter, and his horrible shooting display at the combine is a reason why he’s even in the mix for the Celtics at all. It was always assumed he’d be a lottery pick, but the combine has put that in doubt. Of course, this could very much be a case of NBA combine observers being turned off by some of the measurables while NBA executives focus more on what they saw on the court during his freshman year and during pre-draft workouts. The combine can be tricky, and it could lead to overreactions. Teams feel like they can fix shooting issues if the rest of the package is there. Peat could be a case of buying low on a solid player, especially if the Celtics like who he is as a person and competitor. Tarris Reed Jr.Apr 6, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; UConn Huskies forward Tarris Reed Jr. (5) drives to the basket against Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) during the first half in the national championship of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament between the and the Michigan Wolverines at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn ImagesC, 6-10, 263, 7-4 wingspan, 22 years oldThe Connecticut center has the measurables, with a monster wingspan and an NBA-ready body. The Celtics already have Amari Williams in the development mix at center, but adding Reed Jr. could be both a hedge in case Williams doesn’t work out or a challenge to push Williams’ development. He’s a pretty traditional center, and I question whether that's really the direction Boston wants to go. They already have a pretty good traditional center in Neemias Queta, so drafting another one would be an interesting decision. However, the Celtics do need depth and Stevens isn’t afraid to take a senior in this spot because he should be ready to contribute more quickly. Stockpiling depth at center isn’t the worst decision in the world, especially if they believe in Reed Jr.’s ability to screen and rebound. If they can work on his quickness and turn him into a more switchable defender, then they might have something here. Ebuka OkorieMar 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Ebuka Okorie (1) dribbles against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn ImagesG, 6-1, 186, 6-7 wingspan, 19 years oldA local kid from Nashua, NH who went to Brewster Academy, so it would be a fun story. He was a big scorer at Stanford, averaging 23 points per game, but he only shot 35.4% from three on nearly six attempts so he’ll have to improve that. But we know how much Boston loves small guard who can get downhill, and that's Okori in a nutshell. He’s one of those guys who has constantly had to prove himself, so he might be the kind of “chip on his shoulder” guy Boston loves to develop. He’s young, so they can be patient with him, and let him grow into a role currently occupied by Derrick White and Payton Pritchard.In the search for guys with NBA skills and development upside, a guy with NBA speed like Okorie stepping into a long-term plan with his hometown team isn’t a bad situation at all. Milan MomcilovicMar 27, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) reacts in the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers during a Sweet Sixteen game of the Midwest Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesF, 6-8, 218, 6-9 wingspan, 21 years oldThe guiding principle in drafting at this spot is finding guys with one NBA skill and trying to develop the rest. For Momcilovic, that's shooting. He’s another threat to leave, and scanning the mock drafts shows a wide variety of opinions on him, from late first-round to late second, which might be why we could see him back in college next season. He’s a 6-8 forward who led the NCAA with 136 made three-pointers on nearly 49% shooting last year, which followed a 39.6% shooting season his sophomore year at Iowa State. The downside is that shooting is about all he can do at the next level, so he’ll be a development project. If the Celtics think they can pump up other areas of his game … shot creation, defending, rebounding … then he could be a decent swing at this spot. Allen GravesMar 20, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Santa Clara Broncos forward Allen Graves (22) reacts after making a basket against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn ImagesF, 6-8, 225, 7 foot wingspan, 19 years oldThis, from The Ringer on Graves, might as well be tattooed over Brad Stevens’ heart: “Mature beyond his years: He’s decisive and tends to know where he should be on either side of the ball. Typically operates with a “right play” mentality.”There is nothing more appealing than that to the Celtics. He’s a good screener and a pick-and-pop threat (41.3% from three on 92 attempts). He’s another kid who has both declared for the draft AND entered the transfer portal, so if he doesn’t like where he’s projecting, he could bounce back to school. He makes good passes and plays good defense (3.4 steals per 40 minutes). He seems like a safe bet to be a solid player at some point. It wouldn’t be shocking if Boston tries to convince him to stay in the draft, but the NIL money for a guy like him, as well as the opportunity to improve his draft stock, could convince him to go back to school. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow