Giddens it done

C’s hope guard can bring jolt of athleticism

There was no need for cockiness in the Celtics’ war room on draft night.

Just nine days after capping off their convincing world championship run with a drubbing of the Lakers, the Celtics didn’t get comfortable knowing the core of their roster is under contract for at least two more seasons.

They could have drafted a teenage project who wouldn’t be ready for a few years or a European prospect who needed a few extra seasons to develop overseas. Instead, general manager Danny Ainge turned in another flawless performance, selecting New Mexico guard J.R. Giddens and acquiring Kansas State forward Billy Walker through a trade with the Wizards late in the second round.

“One of our needs was athleticism,” coach Doc Rivers said. “We felt one of our weaknesses was we were very skilled, but we’re not very athletic as a group. We needed to improve our athleticism.”

The Celtics showed their age against younger teams that tried to run for 48 minutes. The 76ers ran the Celtics out of the Garden during a 19-0, fourth-quarter stretch in March — one of two home losses for the C’s in the last three months — and the Hawks nearly pulled off a first-round upset in a huge mismatch of athleticism.

Walker was a steal, a gifted scorer who played high school ball with O.J. Mayo and was a college teammate of Michael Beasley.

Giddens is a playmaker on both ends of the court, but he is more coveted for his defense and rebounding. At 6-foot-5, he led the Mountain West Conference with 8.8 boards per game and is versatile enough to play shooting guard or small forward for the Celtics.

“The thing I love about Danny — I’ve said this for three years now — he knows the system that I run,” Rivers said. “He knows what I like to do on offense. He knows what I like to do on defense, and he goes out and tries to find the best player to fit that and not just the best player available. I think that’s why we’ve been pretty successful in the draft.”