The Boston Celtics took a step foward towards building for the future last Thursday when they selected 3 players with the #21, #22, and #51 picks.  Saturday was even bigger news for the Celtics when Kevin Garnett decided to re-sign with the Celtics for another 3 years at 33 million.  Players can't officially sign a contract until July 11th but both Garnett and Celtics Danny Ainge confirmed the report.  The Celtics now must turn to Ray Allen, Brandon Bass and Jeff Green as they look to round out there roster for next season.  KG re-signing is huge news for this draft class as their two first round picks are big guys who will get a chance to learn from KG and see what it takes to be great in the NBA.  Let's take a look at all 3 of the Celtics draft picks.

#21 pick - Jared Sullinger (Ohio State) - Sullinger is coming off consecutive all american selections and most recently a run to the final four.  Sullinger was always considered lottery talent and his play backed it up.  Medical flags were raised about his back which scared a lot of teams leading up to the draft and his stock was dropping as the days passed.  I always thought there was a possibility he could slip to the Celtics but I did have some reservation against it because I figured a team in the late teens or Denver picking right in front of them might take a flier on him.  When he was still on the board I figured I was hoping that they would pick him and when they announced his name I was excited.

Sullinger was dominant in college during his two season at Ohio State. He averaged 17.3 points per game and around 9.5 rebounds.  He shot over 73 percent in free throws and and a .500 field goal percentage shooter.  If there was anything bad about him it is that he is just 6-9" 268 so he doesnt fit the typical mold of a power forward and he wont be able to get up and down the court for a team that likes to run.  Sullinger is still the best back to the basket player in the draft and has the ability to be a good rotation player for a verteran team who wont need him to come in and be a star.  At #21 this is what I consider a steal especially knowing that they had another pick right after where they can afford to swing for the fence.

#22 pick - Fab Melo (Syracuse) - Melo looks to be a bit of a project but will earn some playing time because of his defensive reputation.  He stands 7 feet tall with a reach of 9'-2" and a wingspan that measures at 7'-2".  Like Sullinger Melo was also just a sophmore and anchored a Syracuse defense that was ranked in the top 5 in the country for most of the season.  Melo is a major prospect on the offensive end.  Melo averaged just 2.3 points in 33 games as a freshman and 7.8 in his sophmore year. His rebounding wasn't great numbers wise but he is a big threat on the offensive glass.  The guy will block shots at a high rate though averaging 2.9 this past season.  Thats where the Celtics will benefit from his presence.  His rebounding will also be able to trigger the fast break and playing with guys like Rondo, Pierce, KG, possibly Jeff Green and Ray Allen again he wont be relied on to score.

I think this is a good value pick.  The Celtics need depth in the front court and Melo is a very good project who could very well pan out and offers them defense right away.

#51 pick - Kris Joseph (Syracuse) - For the second straight year the Boston Celtics drafted college teammates.  Last year they took JuJuan Johnson and Et'wuan Moore from Purdue and now they take Melo and Joseph.  Normally with a second round pick you get a good practice guy and someone to help fill out the roster.  There are times when players emerge and turn into valuable rotation players.

Joseph is a big time athelete but never really put together a ton of consistency which likely would have resulted in him being selected higher. A 4 year player who played for some great Syracuse teams, he brings winning culture to a team that is used to winning and might get the opportunity to play some minutes should someone get hurt.  He is not a bad player to have because the Celtics lack young athletes.  A pretty good pick considering where it was in the draft and one who I can see getting on the court for some minutes every now and then.