The Boston Celtics own their first-round pick entering the 2025 NBA Draft. With Jayson Tatum’s status for next season uncertain due to his torn Achilles and big changes likely coming to the roster, it will be interesting to see whether the Celtics try to select an immediate-impact player, target a developmental project, or trade the pick altogether. PFSN’s latest mock draft has them selecting an older contributor who can help right away.
Celtics Predicted To Select Ryan Kalkbrenner in 2025 NBA Draft
Creighton fifth-year senior Ryan Kalkbrenner spent five seasons at the school and averaged 15+ points in each of his last three seasons.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because Baylor Scheierman also spent five seasons at Creighton before getting drafted by the Celtics with No. 30 overall pick in last year’s NBA Draft.
In PFSN’s Post-Lottery 2025 NBA Mock Draft, Sterling Xie expects them to dip into that well again by drafting Kalkbrenner with the No. 28 overall selection.
“A year after taking Creighton fifth-year senior Baylor Scheierman, could the Boston Celtics repeat the process with his Bluejays teammate Ryan Kalkbrenner? With reserve center Luke Kornet potentially pricing his way out as an unrestricted free agent, Kalkbrenner could enter a contending team’s rotation right away, the way Scheierman did by the end of his rookie season,” Xie wrote.
Scheierman hasn’t had many chances to play until now, but there were flashes of brilliance when he was on the court. He averaged 3.6 points and 2.1 rebounds at 12.4 minutes per game this season.
While the Celtics could also look to trade their pick to shore up the offense after Tatum’s devastating injury, if they want to prioritize their defense, there aren’t many better options than a four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year.
“The four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year profiles as a plus rim protector in the NBA,” Xie wrote. “At 7’1″, Kalkbrenner blocked 399 shots during his five-year collegiate career, an average of 2.4 per game. Impressively, he never fouled out in 169 college games, and that combination of basketball IQ and body control could allow him to impact games more than most young bigs.
“Kalkbrenner showed steady offensive improvement in college, increasing his scoring average in all five seasons and topping out at 19.2 PPG in 2024-25. And for a Celtics team that values spacing, Kalkbrenner isn’t necessarily a zero in that area, though he comes with questions. He improved his 3-point percentage from 29.6% last year to 34.4% this season (albeit still on a low volume of attempts at 1.7 per game).”
KEEP READING: Post-Lottery 2025 NBA Mock Draft
Kalkbrenner could make an immediate impact on a Celtics team that projects to be very competitive next season, even with Tatum likely sidelined. Kalkbrenner is coming off a career year at Creighton, averaging 19.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game.
