Celtics Hope 19th Overall Pick Turns Out Better Than Those of Previous Years

This year’s NBA draft is sure to produce one of the more talented groups of rookies in recent memory.

Led by consensus-No. 1 overall pick Kentucky’s John Wall, Ohio State’s Evan Turner and Georgia Tech’s Derrick Favors, this draft class reminds many NBA scouts of the 2003 draft class that featured LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade, among other NBA All-Stars.

Unfortunately for fans in Boston, the Celtics have pick No. 19, a draft spot that hasn’t exactly produced greatness in the past.

One mock draft has the C’s picking James Anderson, a 6-foot-6-inch shooting guard from Oklahoma State in the first round.

If Anderson — who averaged 22.3 points and 5.8 rebounds for the Cowboys last year — gets taken by the Celtics, he won’t have to do much in the league to best some other former 19th overall picks.

In fact, in the last 20 drafts, only one 19th pick — Hornets center Jamaal Magloire — made an NBA All-Star team. Magloire was drafted in 2000 and was an All-Star in 2004.

Last year’s No. 19 pick, Atlanta’s Jeff Teague, averaged just 3.2 points in 71 games for the Hawks.

Even 2003, considered the best draft class of all time, had a poor pick at 19. The Hornets took Sasha Pavlovic ahead of solid future-NBA players Kendrick Perkins, Leandro Barbosa, Josh Howard and Mo Williams. Pavlovic has averaged just 5.5 points over seven seasons in the league.

Perhaps the worst 19th pick in the last 20 years is Ryan Humphrey. The Utah Jazz picked the forward out of Notre Dame in 2002, and since then, Humphrey has averaged just 2.3 points in only 85 NBA games.

This is not to say the Celtics have nothing to look forward to in this year’s draft. Some notable No. 19 picks include Hakim Warrick (2005), who has averaged over 11 points per game over the last three seasons for Memphis, and Zach Randolph (2001), who has averaged 17.3 points per game throughout his career.

Boston fans should also remember former fan favorite Walter McCarty, who was picked 19th by the Knicks in 1996, before being traded to the Celtics in 1997.

The C’s will be hoping to get another McCarty, a player known for his hustle and determination off the bench, in this year’s draft.