The Boston Celtics have had a wealth of riches as far as the NBA draft is concerned, and it’s quite a challenge to try and rank the top 10 best draft picks ever made by the franchise. And given all the hardware pulled down over the years — as well as the long period of struggle between the late 1980s and late 2000s — trying to create a rubric that works in all eras is nearly as tough.
But that is our goal here, and at least in this assessment longevity with the team, individual contributions compared to teammates, and of course hardware will all be taken into consideration here.
Buy Celtics TicketsSo, let’s take a look at how they stack up over seven decades of history.
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Honorable mentions
Jo Jo White. Danny Ainge. Dave Cowens. Cedric Maxwell.
These are all Celtics legends, and they all have two championships to their name.
A case can be made for Cowens to be higher perhaps given his MVP in 1973 and numerous All-Star and All-NBA elections, and a similar argument for White.
But the competition above them is just too good to budge.
No. 10 - Paul Pierce
The sole entry on this list without multiple titles, Pierce makes the cut on the sheer force of his excellence on some of the worst teams to take the floor in franchise history.
A Finals MVP, 10 All-Star, and five All-NBA teams to his name is good enough for 10th place all-time among players drafted by Boston.
No. 9 - Frank Ramsey
It feels wrong ranking the original sixth man so low with seven banners won on his watch, but several of the players ranked above Ramsey played bigger roles and won more hardware in an era with little real competition.
But in his voluntary reserve role over the years, the Kentucky product didn’t garner much attention despite putting up truly gaudy stat lines off the bench.
No. 8 - Tom "Satch" Sanders
Sanders won one title more than Ramsey in an era where several teams began to become real challengers to the Celtics’ early dominance, so he ranks just a hair higher.
Like Ramsey, he was often a reserve player, especially early and late in his career — but not in those championship seasons.
No. 7 - K.C. Jones
Those who misunderstood Marcus Smart’s value today also don’t see what Jones brought to the Celtics of his era.
Gritty defense, elite playmaking, and a willingness to defer to the league-leading offensive specialists he played alongside saw him help win eight banners of his own, his selflessness and leadership by example a template for the franchise for decades to come.
No. 6 - Kevin McHale
Widely regarded as among if not the best power forward of all time, McHale changed the way the game was played in the post.
While he only won three banners with Boston, it was during one of the most competitive eras in the history of the league. Seven All-Star bids, as many Al-NBA honors and two sixth man nods are good enough for sixth all-time on this list.
No. 5 - Tommy Heinsohn
Taken with a territorial pick in the 1957 NBA draft ahead of Bill Russell and K.C. Jones, the Celtics mainstay acquitted himself well for being drafted in front of those giants.
With eight banners, six All-Star and four All-NBA nods and Rookie of the Year honors in 1957 to his name, Tommy finds himself at No. 5 all-time among Boston draftees.
No. 4 - John Havlicek
One of the only players to play in two separate eras of Celtics greatness and perhaps the only one with a claim to be an engine driving both, Hondo clocks in at fourth all-time.
Like Pierce, he gets credit for carrying bad rosters as well as the eight banner, 13 All-Star bids, and copious other hardware.
No. 3 - Sam Jones
It’s hard to argue with rings, and Jones has one for each finger, only bested by teammate Bill Russell.
And while he may be a bit lighter on hardware than some of the players lower on this list, he also led or nearly led the title teams he played on in scoring in an era where he played with multiple Hall of Famers on the regular.
No. 2 - Larry Bird
Like his teammate Kevin McHale, Larry Legend gets some extra credit based on the competitive era in which he played. Three titles, as many MVPs, two more Finals MVPs, a dozen All-Star nods, and far too much other hardware to list is good for second all-time on our list.
That he did not win the top spot overall despite being a regular mention in top-five players all-time only underscores the strength of Boston’s historical drafting.
No. 1 - Bill Russell
Yes, the competition level was at its lowest in his era, and the path to titles easy in the first half of his career. But few if any have left an imprint on the game like Russell has, and his 11 titles are unmatched, and likely will remain so.
Five MVPs, a dozen All-Star bids, as many All-NBA honors, and many, many more such awards cement the greatest winner of all time as the greatest draft pick by the franchise he put on the map. While the case can be made there have been greater all-around players in the history of the league, none of them were drafted by Boston.
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