Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
New Mexico forward Tony Snell officially declared for the NBA Draft last week, and that means he is another name among many that the Boston Celtics will consider drafting this June.
It wasn’t a smart decision for him to put his name in the pool in my opinion as he needs improvement in a number of areas. This can obviously be said about a lot of prospects, but Snell simply doesn’t pass the eyeball test.
The thing he does have going for him is that he carries that magic word — upside, and teams will pick him solely on that word.
Snell had a disappointing finish to this past season, but so did all of the Lobos. They were shocked in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in March when the Harvard Crimson defeated them and stunned the college basketball community. Snell simply did not show up when his team needed him, and his toughness has been something that has been questioned about him throughout his collegiate career.
The Celtics would be making a low-risk, high-reward pick by selecting Snell this summer. He likely needs at least two years to even sniff meaningful minutes in an NBA rotation, but that is perfectly fine as he is only 21, and that would mean that by age 23, he could contribute for an organization.
He needs to get much stronger and needs to spend most of his free time in a weight room. Snell is rail thin and needs extra bulk to absorb the amount of physical contact he will face in the professional ranks, but remains an intriguing prospect this summer.
Rob Lunder covers the Boston Celtics for Rant Sports. For all Celtics news go to the team home page on Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @rlunder18
