Top 20 Celtics
Here are my top 20 Boston Celtics of all time. The Boston Celtics have been in the NBA since the 1946-47 season or the first season of the NBA.
20. Cedric Maxwell
Cedric played 8 seasons for the Celtics with career averages of 13.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 2.3 APG. He was a 1x NBA Finals MVP and a 2x NBA Champion. While most people may not know Cedric he was an essential piece for the late '70s to mid-80s Celtics teams using his consistent scoring and tenacity on the boards to constantly cause problems for his opponents. I decided to include Cedric because of how impressive his VORP (Value Over Replacement Player) was being 19.5 which is 8th all-time in Celtics history. This beats out players such as Marcus Smart, Al Horford, Paul Silas, and Isaiah Thomas.
19. Ed Macauley
Ed played 6 seasons for the Celtics with career averages of 18.9 PPG, 8.1 RPG, and 3.7 APG. He was a 6x NBA All-Star, a 1x NBA All-Star Game MVP, and a 4x All-NBA Team member. Ed was 1 of the great players of the 50s with his very good efficient scoring leading the NBA in FG% once. He was also a very good rebounder for a 6'8" Center. I decided to include Ed in this list because he has great accolades and his stats show he was a pretty great player even though he was playing with Bob Cousy, and Bill Sharman which you would think would be getting all the touches, but he was arguably the second or third best players in most games. Ed could have gone higher had he won an NBA Championship with the Celtics or even if he had made the NBA Finals.
18. Jaylen Brown
Brown so far has played 7 seasons for the Celtics with career averages of 18.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 2.4 APG. He was an All-Rookie Team member, a 3x NBA All-Star, and a 1x All-NBA Team member. While he doesn't have a ton of accolades currently I feel pretty confident he will continue to get better every year and has a pretty good chance of winning a championship for the next couple of years, but looking at him now he is a very good scorer and a relatively solid defender. Brown has been one of the best SG/SFs in the NBA for the past 3 to 4 seasons and continues to get better. I decided I couldn't put Brown any higher because most of the people ahead of him have at least 1 championship and while Brown has made it to the Finals and was arguably the best player for the Celtics in that series they just couldn't get it done. Also as I said before he doesn't have a ton of accolades just yet, but I'm confident he will be higher on this list in the next 5 or so years assuming Brown doesn't get traded or have a career-ending injury.
17. Ray Allen
Ray played 5 seasons for the Celtics with career averages of 16.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 2.7 APG. He was a 3x NBA All-Star and a 1x NBA Champion. Ray is one of the best three-point shooters in NBA history and easily the best catch-and-shoot player of all time and was an alright defender. Some may question why I have Ray this low and my reason for that would be while he was a great scorer and a very important piece for the Celtics winning the championship in 2008 I just feel that he was pretty 1 dimensional. Ray was strictly there to score when needed and that is obvious when you look at his usage and see that it went down every year because he just had one job hit open shots and sometimes he would get to find his own shots rather than letting Rondo feed him from the corner or somewhere else behind three. I still think Ray is a great player, but when it comes down to his time with the Celtics I believe in my opinion that he wasn't as important as some of the other guys on this list because to me Ray was a 3rd to 4th option on offense.
16. Dennis Johnson
Johnson played 7 seasons for the Celtics with career averages of 12.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 6.4 APG. He was a 1x NBA All-Star, a 4x All-Defensive Team member, and a 2x NBA Champion. Johnson was one of the best defenders in the NBA during the 80s, especially on the perimeter, and was a solid post defender for a 6'4" PG. The reason why I have Johnson over Ray Allen is because I feel like Dennis Johnson was better all around during both times in Boston. Ray easily beats him when it comes to scoring, but that's it Johnson was a better defender, passer, and rebounder which is funny considering Johnson plays the PG and Ray played the SG and sometimes SF. If Johnson had made more All-Star Teams or was a little bit better scorer he could have gone a little higher, but I think this spot makes the most sense.
15. Tom Heinsohn
Tom was a Celtic lifer playing all 9 seasons with Boston his career averages are 18.6 PPG, 8.8 RPG, and 2.0 APG. He was the ROY for the 1956-57 season, he was a 6x NBA All-Star, 4x All-NBA Team member, and an 8x NBA Champion. Tom was a good scorer however he wasn't very efficient, but hardly anybody was efficient in the 50s and 60s, he was a very good rebounder even though he was just 6'7" playing the PF and sometimes the SF. I decided to have Tom this high because when he got to the playoffs he stepped up a notch and was a better player in the playoffs averaging 20 PPG in the playoffs compared to the 18.6 in the regular season. Without Tom the Celtics probably wouldn't have won a lot of the championships, he was a 2nd to 3rd option on most of the early Celtic teams he was a part of and is one of the great PFs in NBA history.
14. Rajon Rondo
Rondo played 9 seasons for the Celtics with career averages of 11.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 8.5 APG. He was an All-Rookie Team member, 1x STL Champ, 2x AST Champ, a 4x NBA All-Star, a 4x All-Defensive Team member, a 1x All-NBA Team member, and a 1x NBA Champion. Rondo was one of the best PGs of the late-2000s and early 2010s. He had outstanding leadership and was one of the most impressive passers averaging double-digit assists multiple seasons. Even though he never scored very much he didn't have to because he was surrounded by so many stars during his time with the Celtics, and did an excellent job getting them open looks and was a huge help on defense especially on the perimeter. Without Rondo, I don't think the Celtics would've had any chance to win the Championship in 2008 he was very valuable to that team. What holds him back from going any higher is the fact that he just has 1 championship had he won a couple more I could've put him much higher.
13. Bill Sharman
Bill played 10 seasons for the Celtics with career averages of 18.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 3.0 APG. He led the league in FT% 7x, he was an 8x NBA All-Star, a 1x NBA All-Star MVP, a 7x All-NBA Team member, and a 4x NBA Champion. Bill was one of the first superstar SGs in the NBA being a great scorer even as a 3rd option some of the time, and was very familiar being in the playoffs making it there all 10 seasons he was with the Celtics. Sense Bill played so early in the NBA and there isn't a lot of footage of him playing it's tough for me to put him higher since I can only go off his stats to determine where he should be ranked, and what makes it tougher is back in the 50s and 60s they weren't recording a lot of certain stats like steals, blocks, and a handful of advance stats. With that being said I can't put him any higher than here, but obviously, he was a great player as he is in the HOF which is well deserved.
12. Jo Jo White
White played 10 seasons for the Celtics with career averages of 18.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 5.1 APG. He was an All-Rookie Team member, a 7x NBA All-Star, a 2x All-NBA Team member, a 2x NBA Champion, and a 1x NBA Finals MVP. While White played PG he wasn't your traditional PG because he was a great scorer and was an average passer never averaging more than 6.0 APG. The reason I think White deserves to be this high is because even though he was the 2nd or 3rd best player on most of the Celtics teams he was a part of the played as if he was the main man and was surprisingly able to win the Finals MVP over the likes of Dave Cowens, and John Havlicek (yes Havlicek was older, but he's so good you would think he would be trying to assert his dominance a little more). White was also a pretty good defender and decent rebounder for a PG. If he had won some more championships I could have put him higher, but I think this spot makes sense for him.
11. Jayson Tatum
Tatum so far has played 6 seasons with the Celtics and has career averages of 23.0 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 3.5 APG. He was an All-Rookie Team member, and so far he is a 5x NBA All-Star, a 1x All-Star Game MVP, a 3x All-NBA Team member, and a 1x ECF (Eastern Conference Finals) MVP. Tatum is a crazy explosive scorer, a great rebounder, and a pretty good defender at the perimeter and post. While he doesn't have a ton of accolades yet I have plenty of faith that he isn't finished yet I see him getting into the top 10 within a couple of seasons. I put Tatum here because most of if not all the people below him were 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th options and Tatum is and has been a first option, or in different terms a megastar he has the chance to be the face of the NBA as long as he can win some championships or get some MVPs.
10. Sam Jones
Sam was a Celtic lifer playing all of his 12 seasons with Boston with career averages of 17.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 2.5 APG. He was a 5x NBA All-Star, a 3x All-NBA Team member, and a 10x NBA Champion. Sam was one of the best scorers in the '60s with his best season average being 25.9 PPG. He was also a pretty good rebounder for a 6'4" SG. Since he did play in the '60s I really don't know if he was a good defender or not, but he has the 7th highest WS for a Celtic being at 92.3 showing me that he was a very important player for the Celtics. I also want to point out that Sam was actually better in the playoffs than in the regular season averaging over 20 PPG for 7 seasons in a row. If Sam had made more All-Stars or had won a finals MVP (which could have happened if they had finals MVP put into the NBA sooner) I would put him higher, but he was still an outstanding player during his time with the Celtics.
9. Kevin Garnett
Garnett played 6 seasons for the Celtics with career averages of 15.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 2.7 APG. He was a 5x NBA All-Star, a 1x All-NBA Team member, a 4x All-Defensive Team member, a 1x DPOY, and a 1x NBA Champ. Garnett is one of the best PFs of all time and while his stats may not be crazy don't let that fool you he was the second option to Paul Pierce and gave up being the main guy in Minnesota to win a championship which he succeeded in doing so in 2008. Garnett was an excellent defender and outstanding rebounder while also still being a solid scorer when the Celtics needed him to take over. Had Garnett played longer or won more championships with the Celtics I would feel better about putting him higher, but he is still easily a top 10 Celtic of all time.
8. Robert Parish
Parish played 14 seasons for the Celtics with career averages of 16.5 PPG, 10.0 RPG, and 1.5 APG. He was a 9x NBA All-Star, a 2x All-NBA Team member, and a 3x NBA Champ. Parish was a solid scorer, a great rebounder, and a great shot-blocker. He brought a quiet, but effective dominance for the Celtics in the 80s. Parish will also always be known for being an "ironman" meaning he was always playing games, was rarely injured, and has played the 2nd most games in Celtics history. The reason I have Parish over Garnett is because Parish played way longer and made a larger impact than Garnett winning two more championships than Garnett.
7. Dave Cowens
Dave played 10 seasons for the Celtics with career averages of 18.2 PPG, 14.0 RPG, and 3.9 APG. He was an All-Rookie Team member also winning ROY, an 8x NBA All-Star, a 1x All-Star MVP, a 3x All-Defensive Team member, a 3x All-NBA Team member, a 1x MVP, and a 2x NBA Champ. At 6'9" Dave outplayed most other 7'0" centers daily with his great scoring, ferocious rebounding, and very good defense. While he didn't have a super long career he sure made his impact felt being one of the best centers during his time. One of the main reasons that I couldn't put him very much higher is because anybody can argue that his MVP was undeserved, and there were lots of other better options like Kareem for example, or even Tiny Archibald who led the NBA in PPG and APG. With that being said he did still win it and whether you agree or disagree Dave was still one of the best players during that time and inspired a whole other generation of NBA centers.
6. Kevin Mchale
Mchale was a Celtic lifer playing all his 13 seasons for Boston with career averages of 17.9 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and 1.7 APG. He was an All-Rookie Team member, a 2x 6MOY, a 7x NBA All-Star, a 6x All-Defensive Team member, a 1x All-NBA Team member, and a 3x NBA Champion. Mchale was a great scorer for pretty much his whole career and is arguably the best 6th man in NBA history because basically half of his All-Star appearances came from when he was usually a 6th man and the same goes for his Defensive Teams. Mchale was also very efficient leading the league in FG% in back-to-back seasons which is rather rare for a PF. I have Mchale this high because of his major impact during the 80s he was one of the best PFs in the NBA even though most of the time he was a part-time starter and to me that's very impressive.
5. Paul Pierce
Pierce played 15 seasons for the Celtics with career averages of 21.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 3.9 APG. He was an All-Rookie Team member, a 10x NBA All-Star, a 4x All-NBA Team member, a 1x NBA Champion, and a 1x Finals MVP. Pierce is an outstanding scorer and very efficient from pretty much everywhere making him a tough guard for anybody. He was also rarely injured playing in the third most games in Celtics history. The reason why I have him this high and over Mchale is because Pierce was the main guy on his Celtics team while Mchale tended to be a 2nd and sometimes 3rd option. Also, Pierce's VORP (Value Over Replacement Player) is almost doubled compared to Mchales.
4. Bob Cousy
Cousy played 13 seasons for the Celtics with career averages of 18.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 7.6 APG. He was an 8x AST Champ, a 13x NBA All-Star, a 2x NBA All-Star Game MVP, a 12x All-NBA Team member, a 1x NBA MVP, and a 6x NBA Champion. Cousy was one of the best traditional PGs of all time being an outstanding floor general, a great rebounder for a 6'1" PG, and was a solid scorer however relatively inefficient (which was common during his era). Cousy had 19 triple-doubles in his career which is also very impressive showing the impact that he had while on the Celtics. This may be a hot take having Bob Cousy in my top 5 especially when you can argue that a lot of the other players are better skill-wise I just feel that his impact and importance is just better than all of the other players that are on this list. Bob Cousy is a winner and it is hard to argue that he isn't when he has 6 championships.
3. John Havlicek
Havlicek was a Celtics lifer playing all of his 16 seasons for Boston with career averages of 20.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 4.8 APG. He was an All-Rookie Team member, a 13x NBA All-Star, an 8x All-Defensive Team member, an 11x All-NBA Team member, an 8x NBA Champion, and a 1x NBA Finals MVP. Havlicek was a symbol of pure hustle and unselfish play. He hardly ever took a day off played a lot of minutes and was really efficient. John is one of those players that had few weaknesses which is what makes him one of the best players in NBA history because you can throw him into almost any era and he would still be almost equally impactful. I feel like it's hard to argue that Havlicek can go any lower than this spot because of how impactful he was for all of his 16 seasons and you can see that when you look at most of the Celtics records and he's usually at the top of them which is rare to see.
2. Bill Russell
Russell was a Celtic lifer playing all of his 13 seasons for Boston with career averages of 15.1 PPG, 22.5 RPG (NOT A TYPO), and 4.3 APG. He was a 4x TRB Champ, a 12x NBA All-Star, a 1x NBA All-Star Game MVP, a 1x All-Defensive Team member, an 11x All-NBA Team member, a 5x NBA MVP, and an 11x NBA Champion. Russell was a different breed back in his time known as the best rebounder of all time and is the prime example of a winner of 11 championships the most championships won by a single player and he was the reason for it because of his outstanding hustle and excellent defense. While he doesn't have the accolades to support being an excellent defender if you have watched any of his games you would understand how amazing he was there and he would have won multiple DPOYs and All-Defensive Teams had they been added to the NBA sooner. I also wanted to point out that in the playoffs he never averaged less than 20 RPGs and made the playoffs every year of his career. Bill Russell is a top 10 player of all time and is and will always be a top Boston Celtic of all time.
1. Larry Bird
Bird was a Celtic lifer playing all of his 13 seasons for Boston with career averages of 24.3 PPG, 10.0 RPG, and 6.3 APG. He was an All-Rookie Team member, a ROY, a 12x NBA All-Star, 1x NBA All-Star Game MVP, a 3x All-Defensive Team member, a 10x All-NBA Team member, a 3x NBA MVP, a 3x NBA Champion, and a 2x NBA Finals MVP. This really needs no explanation Larry Bird is one of the greatest players of all time, and had he not gotten an injury toward the end of his career he could've really made a strong case for being the GOAT. Bird was like Havlicek one of those players with few weaknesses, however, Larry Bird was just a way better version of that, and advanced statistics will show that when it comes to VORP, and Win Shares being that he is either the leader or top 2 in both of those categories.
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