NEW YORK -- Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas said he was trying to channel his inner Brad Stevens when he rose from his seat during the 2016 NBA draft lottery Tuesday night and prepared to join the representatives from the other two teams that were among the final three to be revealed.
With Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca beaming from the front row, Thomas could hardly mask his own trademark smile. Standing on the side of the stage alongside Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown as ESPN's broadcast went to commercial, Thomas was confident that he had secured the No. 1 pick for a Boston team that has long been tormented by the lottery's pingpong balls.
"I was thinking, man, I think we're going to get the No. 1 pick," said Thomas. "That's just how things go in my life. I never put anything past it. I was thinking we were [No. 1]."
Thomas managed to keep his emotions masked when the Celtics landed the No. 3 pick after the order of the lottery teams went unchanged for the first time ever. While it wasn't the outcome Thomas or the Celtics preferred on this night, Boston's All-Star point guard is certain this pick can help Boston get where it wants to go.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what [Celtics president of basketball operations] Danny [Ainge] and the front office are going to do to make us a better team," said Thomas. "And whatever we do in the draft and in free agency, I think it's going to make our team that much better. We gotta take that next step and can't kinda stay in the middle. We gotta go for it."
Celtics fans will be disappointed initially about landing the third pick in a draft headlined by two players (Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram), but Boston ownership put a positive spin on the proceedings.
"It's a much better pick than picking sixth, I'll tell you that," said co-owner Wyc Grousbeck, who was in the lottery draw room and knew Boston's fate before the national TV reveal.
Thomas admitted he was surprised to have on-stage nerves: "Man, I had jitters like I was getting drafted, like a playoff game or something." Throughout the night, Thomas clutched a Ziploc bag filled with green marshmallows from a box of Lucky Charms that a fan had given him earlier in the day in New York City.
Having brought only a green tie and socks but not a good-luck charm, Thomas elected to keep the marshmallows. He was loose as he navigated a media tour before the national TV reveal.
During that time, Thomas also got a chance to mingle with the other NBA players and executives representing their teams on stage. The NBA's Twitter account sent out a photo of him talking with Chicago Bulls All-Star Jimmy Butler behind the scenes.
A couple of All-Stars hanging in the green room before the #NBADraftLottery presented by State Farm on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/inuGep0ZeA
— NBA (@NBA) May 17, 2016
Thomas was asked if he had engaged in any recruiting at the lottery.
"You know how I do. I'm not going to say too much more, but you know," Thomas said before laughing loudly.
Grousbeck admitted that No. 3 wasn't the result Boston wanted, but he thought it was a positive night. After being in the draw room back in 2007 when Boston slipped to No. 5 after having the second-best odds in another draft headlined by two players (Kevin Durant and Greg Oden), Grousbeck was happy that Boston maintained its spot this year instead of getting leapfrogged.
"I knew we needed the 3 ball. When the balls are drawn, you know what the combinations are, and I knew we needed to hit a 3 or it was going to someone else," Grousbeck said of Boston's four-digit combinations in the draw room. "We hit the 3 at the end, so that was good."
Asked if he'd phoned Ainge yet to start discussing the path from here, Grousbeck joked how he just retrieved his phone from the envelope it had to remain in until the broadcast completed (though he instinctively reached toward his pocket repeatedly during the wait). After Ainge turned the No. 5 pick in 2007 into a world title in 2008, there are lofty expectations for the man in charge of running the team.
"We'll find out if this pick goes in a trade or if this pick is made by the Celtics," said Grousbeck. "And we don't have to decide that until June 23. ... We're going to have some great workouts, we're going to have some great trade possibilities, great draft possibilities. This is a positive night."
The Celtics have a top-three pick for the first time since 1997, when they selected Chauncey Billups. Back in 1980, Boston selected Hall of Famer Kevin McHale at No. 3 overall.
Considering Boston's rough luck with the pingpong balls, Thomas was OK with the draw.
"I hope I helped. I hope people are happy," said Thomas. "I don't know. I haven't checked my social media yet. You never know what the fans are happy about or what they're not happy about. So hopefully that worked out a little bit. I know we definitely wanted the 1 or 2 pick, but third pick shouldn't be too bad."
Back at the team's practice facility in Waltham, Massachusetts, Ainge admitted he started to dream a bit when the Celtics were in the final three teams.
"I think for a moment there I allowed myself to get my hopes up to get the No. 1 or 2 pick in the draft. Particularly the No. 1 pick; that would have been nice," said Ainge. "But it didn't happen."
Armed with eight total picks in this year's draft -- including three first-rounders and five selections in the top 35 (Nos. 3, 16, 23, 31, 35) -- it's time for Ainge to go to work and figure out how to help the Celtics make the moves that Thomas spoke of.
And unlike the pingpong balls, that's very much in Ainge's control.
