#16 Boston Celtics: Terry Rozier

The Boston Celtics made one of the most surprising picks of the night at No. 16, selecting former Louisville point guard Terry Rozier.

For much of the draft process, Rozier had been projected as a second-round pick, but he played very well in individual workouts and at his pro day, which helped his stock. It became clear that he would be a first-round pick recently, but many analysts had him pegged in the late 20s rather than the teens.

A number of top point guard prospects refused to work out against Rozier during the pre-draft process because of his lockdown defense, which is one reason why he didn’t receive more hype in recent weeks. Rozier didn’t even get a green-room invite and was selected ahead of several players in attendance for the draft, which shows how shocking this pick was.

However, the Celtics clearly fell in love with his game and took him much higher than anyone expected (even above Jerian Grant, who was being projected as a lottery pick at one point).

Rozier is a very athletic guard, who excels on the defensive end. There were some questions about his jump shot entering this process, but he silenced the criticism about his shot during workouts. He is a very good two-way player, and teams believe his skill set will translate well to the NBA.

Last season at Louisville, the 21-year-old Rozier averaged 17.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals. Rozier will come off of the bench for the Celtics, likely playing reserve minutes at the one and two. His physical play and defensive-first mindset will fit right in with Boston’s core.