A Very New England Draft
Assuming we don't trade up for AJ (joke), it would be nice to pick up the other two New Englanders in the draft.
Round 1, Pick 27 Overall:
It seems like Brad has had the most success in the late first round picking athletic, raw wings, but I wouldn't rule out Ebuka Okorie (New Hampshire). His stats are insane for a freshman in the ACC, and although his stats tick down a bit against the tournament-qualified teams, they're still pretty good (21/4/3 on 43.2/33.3/83.3). The main knock on him is his size, but he measured pretty well at the combine with a 6'7.75" wingspan. He'll have to put on some muscle, and improve his playmaking, but I really like him as a late first-rounder. Brad was willing to draft JD Davison, who compares almost exactly to Okorie physically (if not a little worse) and even athletically (combine-wise at least), but Okorie has shown far superior actual basketball ability. Hopefully the Davison experience hasn't turned him off of small guards, but he has said we need more rim pressure, and Okorie can potentially provide that.
Round 2, Pick 40 Overall:
Biased as a UConn fan too, but Alex Karaban (Massachusetts) would be a solid pick in the mid-second round. He's a proven winner, and does a ton of little things that don't show up in the stat sheet. Definitely not as dynamic as Scheierman, but he always makes the right play. As depth he should be a reliable role player at the 3 or 4. The most attractive skill is his deep 3-point shooting (which needs more consistency), but he also rebounds well as a wing, gets his hands in passing lanes and can block a few shots from behind, and is a high IQ passer. The main areas of concern are his on-ball defense and ability to create his own shot, but in a well-functioning team these should be minor issues as a 4th or 5th scoring option. I see him as a floor-raiser off the bench, wouldn't expect any surprise potential though.
Bonus picks:
Tobi Lawal, originally from London, went to prep school in Maine. Lawal was probably the most explosive player at the combine, with the best vertical and a very good 3/4 sprint time. Also got a good frame at about 6'7" and a 6'10" wingspan. He would be a project player, but also he's already 23, so less time for him to develop. Although his 3-point numbers are disappointing for a wing right now, he has improved heavily on his free-throw shooting, working up to 76% this year, which could mean some 3-point potential with development. He actually seems like a very Brad pick, and although the mocks have put him late-second round, but he might have gone up in value since his great combine performance.
Ugonna Onyenso, similar to Lawal, is not a native New Englander, but went to prep school in Connecticut. Fairly prototypical unskilled big, but he has some of the best measureables in the draft at 6'11" with a near 7'5" wingspan. Doesn't have the bounce you'd want from a rim runner or rim protector, but he's made up for it defensively with elite timing/positioning in combination with his reach. Per 40 he's at 6.3 blocks and only 2.7 fouls, which is absurd for a college big. However, I don't think he solves any of our issues though even in his best case outcome, which is probably a less athletic but more defensively-disciplined version of Queta. Also like Lawal, he is mocked to go late-second round.