Will Brockton’s AJ Dybantsa go No. 1? Follow live updates on the NBA Draft.

AJ Dybantsa, the pride of Brockton who started his high school journey at St. Sebastian’s, could become just the third Massachusetts player to hear his name called first in the NBA Draft.

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This draft class has been eyed by scouts as one filled with impact players, among the best in recent memory. Alongside BYU’s Dybantsa, Kansas’s Darryn Peterson, Duke’s Cameron Boozer, and more are viewed as potential game-changers.

Then, there’s the Celtics. Armed with picks 27 and 40, Boston lacks a top pick but still has plenty of intrigue, considering the news that Giannis Antetokounmpo was dealt to Miami, not Boston. Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens looks to improve a roster that shockingly crashed out in the first round of the playoffs to the 76ers.

Follow live updates from the first round of the draft, and track picks as they happen here.

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Chad Finn | Column

It’s me. I’m the one, or at least one among a small minority.

In the hours after business was finally settled, I’m bummed out the Celtics couldn’t swing a Jaylen Brown-for-Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.

Oh, don’t take this as a suggestion that Brad Stevens, the Celtics’ trustworthy president of basketball operations, should have matched or surpassed the Heat’s winning offer for Antetokounmpo, the nine-time All-NBA selection and two-time Most Valuable Player.

In the reported parameters of the deal, which also sends forward Bobby Portis to Miami, it appears the Heat did not give up much in star power, but rather a flock of B/B-minus players with varying upsides, including Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez, Kel’el Ware, and the intriguing Kasparas Jakucionis.

But they did include an abundance of draft picks, including three first-rounders, a pick swap, and a second-rounder. In bulk, it’s a lot, and the Heat probably threw in the rights to Rony Seikaly and Sherman Douglas for good measure.

Stevens was disciplined and wise to draw the line. The Celtics reportedly offered Brown and a pair of first-round picks, confirmation of something that Brown’s most loyal fans didn’t want to recognize: The Celtics rightfully — obviously, I say — saw Antetokounmpo as a clear upgrade.

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Gary Washburn | On Basketball

The most anticipated NBA draft in years is here, and it may be the last of its kind because of the league’s new anti-tanking rules.

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As many as 10 teams during this past season played to lose for the express purpose of gaining a lottery pick in this draft filled with potential future stars. The centerpiece is a local, Brockton native AJ Dybantsa, who is projected to be taken first by the Wizards.

But it’s not a cinch. The main competitor to Dybantsa for the first choice is Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, a gifted scorer who enters the league with some red flags about his health after being limited to 24 games with the Jayhawks.

The question Peterson had to answer is whether his body can withstand an 82-game schedule after he struggled with a 35-game slate during his lone college season. Peterson has pointed to creatine use as a reason for his constant cramping injuries. And his confidence is apparent, working out only for the Wizards.

While Dybantsa emerged as the favorite for the No. 1 pick a few weeks ago, Peterson has been gaining momentum because of his overall skill set and fit in Washington. The Wizards have amassed a bevy of lottery picks and a crowded frontcourt with Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, and Anthony Davis. Washington could use a shooting guard, but Dybantsa’s star potential may be too good to pass up.

The Jazz have the second pick and gladly will accept whoever is left. Dybantsa has Utah ties, having played at BYU and attended prep school there, and it’s difficult to find young players who would actually embrace playing in Salt Lake City.

The consensus third pick is Cameron Boozer, the former Duke All-American who doesn’t bring the dazzle or athleticism of his two predecessors, but has enough maturity and a versatile skill set for a long career. He is exactly the type of stable, can’t-miss pick the Grizzlies need.

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By Julian Benbow, Globe Staff

The last time a Massachusetts-born-and-raised player had his name called at the NBA Draft was five years ago and it was both in memoriam and as inspiration.

Terrence Clarke was projected to be a first-round pick in 2021 — the first Boston area first-rounder since Shabazz Napier in 2014 — before a fatal car crash in Los Angeles just weeks before the draft. The NBA posthumously honored him as a ceremonial pick.

Clarke became a symbol of the heights the modern generation of the area’s basketball players could reach. Five years later, Brockton’s AJ Dybantsa is on the verge of completing the journey.

Dybantsa is at the top of most experts’ lists entering Tuesday’s NBA Draft, and if his name is called first, he’ll join Patrick Ewing in 1985 and Jimmy Walker in 1967 as the only Massachusetts products to be selected No. 1 overall.

What makes Dybantsa different from Ewing and Walker, though, is that he’s the only one of the three who was actually born here. Ewing’s mother moved their family to Cambridge from Jamaica when he was 12. Walker spent most of his childhood in Roxbury after his family moved there from Amherst, Va., when he was an infant.

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