Gonzaga's Anton Watson gets drafted by the Boston Celtics

The Spokane favorite joins WSU's Jaylen Wells as Inland Northwest draftees.

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Gonzaga's Anton Watson gets drafted by the Boston Celtics

Erick Doxey photo

Anton Watson now gets to pursue his NBA dreams in the Celtics organization.

While most eyes during today's second round of the NBA Draft were focused on LeBron James' son Bronny inevitably getting picked by the Lakers at pick No. 55, Zags fans got a much more surprising treat one pick prior when hometown hero Anton Watson got selected by the NBA Champion Boston Celtics.

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It was far from a sure thing that the the Spokane native would hear his name called as part of this year's NBA Draft, but clearly Celtics scouts saw potential in Watson's versatile game despite the forward spending five years at Gonzaga. The counting numbers bear out the breadth of Watson's longevity, as he ended his career as a Bulldog near the top of the program's all-time rankings in steals (2nd), games played (3rd), field goals made (9th), rebounds (9th) and blocks (10th).

It will still an uphill battle for Watson to make an NBA roster. He'll likely sign a two-way contract with the Celtics, allowing the franchise to have him primarily playing for their developmental G League team — the Maine Celtics — and potentially calling him up to the main roster as needed. Gonzaga fans should next be able to see Watson in action when the Celtics Summer League team takes the floor in Las Vegas (July 12-22).

Watson wasn't the only Inland Northwest hoops standout to hear his name called during Thursday's NBA Draft action. Earlier in the proceedings, Washington State forward Jaylen Wells was picked No. 39 by the Memphis Grizzlies. After two years as a star on the Division II level, Wells transferred to Wazzu last year and instantly showed his sharpshooting prowess (41.7% from 3) while helping the Cougars return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008.