Markelle Fultz

Washington guard Markelle Fultz (20) is greeted by coach Lorenzo Romar, right, and other team personnel late in the second half of the team's NCAA basketball game against Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016, in Seattle.

(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

One thing Boston Celtics fans love: a blowout win that includes great defense, great offense, and a near decapitation carried out by Jaylen Brown. Another thing Celtics fans embrace with all their hearts: optimism about the coming NBA Draft class.

Smile, Bostonians:

NBA scouts/executives sound incredibly excited about this draft class so far. Loaded with high-end talent, and goes well outside the top-10. — Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) December 7, 2016

Thank the Brooklyn Nets once more, because Sporting News draft expert Sam Vecenie considers the 2017 draft deep with potential All-Stars. During an interview with MassLive for the Locked on Celtics podcast, Vecenie compared this year's draft to the 2008 version that yielded Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Derrick Rose, Brook Lopez, Danilo Gallinari, Nicolas Batum, George Hill, DeAndre Jordan and Goran Dragic, among others.

Vecenie said this year's class "looks incredibly strong in terms of lottery talent," but cautioned, "There isn't necessarily a hyper-elite generational talent in this class I would say."

"Like, there's no Anthony Davis in this class, in my opinion," Vecenie said. "Rose and (Michael) Beasley (the No. 2 pick in 2008) were both really high-level players but nobody really thought Rose would develop into an MVP-caliber player, no one thought that you were going to build an entire organization around Michael Beasley and hope that it went well. But there were guys like Rose, Beasley, Westbrook, Love, Gallinari, guys like that, Eric Gordon, that have turned into very real All-Star caliber players. I think this draft goes, like, potentially seven deep or so in All-Star caliber players."

More of Vecenie's thoughts can be found below. The full interview, which includes his in-depth takes on several top prospects, can be heard in the podcast at the bottom of this post.

Fultz too good to pass up?

Drafting for fit rather than talent can be dangerous or downright stupid. But this draft is loaded with point guards, and, well, the Celtics have All-Star Isaiah Thomas at that position. I asked Vecenie whether they should still take Washington point guard Markelle Fultz - the projected No. 1 pick - if they luck into winning the lottery.

"That whole situation is so tricky because I think Isaiah's a free agent after next season, right?" Vecenie replied. "So they have to make their decision if they want to max out Isaiah, because that's what it's going to take to keep him, or if they think that's maybe not the best decision. I would personally take Fultz, pair him with Avery Bradley, make that your backcourt of the future. I think that's a terrifying combination for a wide variety of reasons, mostly to do with how they would pair, and how they'd be able to switch off onto guards just about equally due to their size and length and Bradley's tenacity defensively. You could never really worry about the opposing team's best offensive threat from the perimeter, just how the Celtics don't really have to now. But Fultz would provide a little bit more utility defensively if they wanted to switch a little bit more.

"You know, Thomas is a great player. I don't think that anyone now denies how incredibly gifted he is as a scorer, and how he's become a terrific playmaker for others after maybe starting out his career as a little bit more of a scorer for himself, a little bit more of a microwave off the bench so to speak. But I think the Celtics are going to have a difficult call (if they win the lottery), and I think right now if the draft was held today I would take Fultz if they got No. 1."

Vecenie's full scouting report of Fultz's game can be heard in the podcast, too.

Who would fit the Celtics best?

As a fellow Washington point guard, Thomas might be a little biased, but has suggested he would take Fultz No. 1 too. I wonder if he would think the same thing if the Celtics actually do land that selection.

They could have a somewhat reasonable shot. If the standings hold their status from Thursday through the end of the season, the Celtics will have a 33.7-percent chance of landing a top-3 pick, including a 10.4-percent chance of winning the No. 1 overall selection. If they don't end up with Fultz, they may choose someone who would mesh better with the current roster.

I asked Vecenie a dumb question about which prospect would fit the current Celtics best.

"Oh, man. I might say Jayson Tatum," he replied, referencing the 6-foot-8 wing from Duke. "I would like to see the Celtics gain a little bit more creation on the wing, right? Because I think Jaylen Brown and Jae Crowder, like, those guys -- in Crowder's case he's already good, Jaylen Brown I think he's going to be a really good role player. Those guys are awesome in terms of the value they provide to a team, but they aren't necessarily the best shot creators. I think it would be interesting to get a guy in there who would really create a shot, who would fit in defensively with what they want to do, who would not necessarily be on the elite level in guarding wings like a Marcus Smart or a Crowder or like Jaylen Brown can be, but it would provide a different dimension I think. And I would really like to see (them), maybe, replace Jonas Jerebko's minutes with Jayson Tatum."

Looking back

Considering the Celtics held onto their pick last year, Vecenie thinks they should have taken either Dragan Bender or the guy they actually selected, Jaylen Brown. Vecenie had Brown at No. 4 on his big board last year and believes the Celtics rookie will be "a really solid pro player for a good while," but added that Boston's No. 3 pick would have held more value in another year. Brown might have slid down the lottery if he had come out in 2017 instead.

"Jaylen Brown in this draft class would probably be closer to I would say maybe 10th overall, something like that right now," Vecenie said. "Like, look at a guy like OG Anunoby. Anunoby already provides way more defensive value. He's a little bit better of a shooter. It's easier to see him slotting into a lineup right now than it is to see Jaylen Brown slotting into a lineup in many ways. Just because of he's a little bit bigger, a little bit longer, and he can shoot the ball. He's a little bit more amenable as a role player in terms of what the Celtics are trying to do on the wing there."

Listen to the podcast below. You can also go to the show page on Audio Boom, download the Audio Boom app for your phone, subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher, or search for Locked on Celtics wherever else you listen to podcasts.