Boston Celtics' Future Center: Patrick Ngongba

0:00It's March 28th, Boston Celtics News today starts now, AI powered and ready for kickoff. The Boston Celtics looks set at center with Nehemiah's Keta stepping up big time as their guy for the future. This former project player has turned into a double-double threat and rim protector, giving them solid foundation in the pain. With Nikola Vusovic hitting 34 years old and his contract expiring after this season, Boston needs depth behind Keta. Inside his Eman Cassels suggests they target Duke's sophomore Patrick Ngongba, the second in the draft as a perfect modern big man fit. Ngongba brings elite defense, ranking in the 99th percentile for defensive real adjusted plus-minus according to college basketball analytics. Offensively, he's a smooth lob finisher who scores and passes with polish, making him versatile all around. This year at Duke, the 6 foot 11 in Ngongba averaged 10.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1.1 blocks over.

1:0121.9 minutes per game. That's a massive jump from his freshman stats after earning more court time. Picture in Ngongba, developing just like Keta did, long, athletic blocking shots while handling the ball a bit. If Boston grabs him late in the first round, they could build a fearsome front court duo ready to dominate for years.