The 2026 NBA Finals began Wednesday night when the New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs by overcoming a double-digit second-half deficit to win Game 1 on the road.
Jalen Brunson’s 30 points and fourth-quarter heroics dominated headlines after the game, but the real star of the series opener for the Knicks was center Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored 18 points with 12 rebounds. But more importantly, Towns played really good defense against Spurs superstar center Victor Wembanyama.
It was another example of how important it is to have a center capable of guarding the league’s best big men. Many of the top contenders have a center who can impact games at a high level. That list includes Wembanyama and Towns, as well as Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Rudy Gobert, Chet Holmgren, Evan Mobley and Alperen Sengun. Giannis Antetokounmpo could potentially be traded to a contender this offseason.
The Celtics are lacking in this department.
Neemias Queta had an excellent regular season as the starting center, but he was far less effective in the playoffs against Embiid. Queta scored fewer than 10 points in five of the seven first-round games against the Philadelphia 76ers, and he was also in foul trouble in several of those matchups.
One place where the Celtics can upgrade their frontcourt is the 2026 NBA Draft later this month. The C’s have the No. 27 overall pick in the first round.
Here’s a list of potential Celtics targets in Round 1 based on recent predictions from experts in 2026 NBA mock drafts.
“The Celtics had good luck last year taking Hugo Gonzalez in the late first round. Why not go with another Spaniard? De Larrea is a tall playmaking guard with major feel and a knockdown jumper who thrives within team concepts. He suffered a dislocated shoulder that ended his 2024-25 season and removed him from draft boards, but it ended up a blessing in disguise since he returned with a bigger role and stronger production for a great team in the EuroLeague. With size, smarts and defensive versatility, he could carve out a role in the NBA if his international skill can translate.”
“If you pop in the film of Okorie’s 36-point outburst from Stanford’s Jan. 14 win over North Carolina, you’ll wonder why he slipped this far. He followed it up with three more 30+ point showings during one of the most unexpectedly dominant freshman seasons in college basketball. The margins are slim for making it in the league as an undersized scoring guard. But if nothing else, perhaps he can sustain an NBA bench unit.”
“Tanner might be destined to return to college after being one of the most divisive players in this year’s class. He was one of the very best players in college basketball as a sophomore, but he’s just so small at a tick under 5’11 barefoot and 167 pounds with a 6’4.25 wingspan. He definitely plays bigger than his size on both ends with a sixth sense for forcing turnovers and a rare ability to dunk on your head for such a tiny guard. I have questions about his three-point shooting and creation ability at the next level. He’d be a great flier in this range.”
“The Celtics typically load up with as many shooters as they can get, and they naturally have an affinity for floor-spacing bigs. Once financial constraints forced them to split from the likes of Al Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis in 2025, they pivoted to Luka Garza and Nikola Vučević. But Vučević is a free agent now, and Garza is unproven as a rotation regular, so Boston could continue its stretch-big search with Veesaar. He is a 7’0″ play-finisher both around the rim and beyond the three-point arc.”
“The Celtics could stand to improve their secondary playmaking, regardless of position. The way the board has fallen, Boston could land one of the best passers in the class while also shoring up its frontcourt depth. Jefferson may not have ideal length for his position, but he makes up for that with brute strength, quick hands, and excellent two-way instincts. At their best, the Celtics exhibit a five-man flow that adapts to the coverage at hand. Having a quick processor like Jefferson on the floor would help keep things in motion.”
