Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our pre-2021-22 revision of our top 50 Boston Celtics.

As for all of our top 50 players in basketball we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the NBA. 

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Please note, that this is our first revision in three years, and despite the legends who have suited up in Boston green, we have four new entries and one slight elevation.

As always, we present our top five immediately, though nothing has changed in this upper-tier.

1. Bill Russell

2. Larry Bird

3. John Havlicek

4. Bob Cousy

5. Paul Pierce

You can find the entire list here.

Jayson Tatum, a two-time All-Star and a Third Team All-NBA Selection last year enters at #30.  

Jaylen Brown, an All-Star last year, comes in at #37.

Two players who are now no longer Celtics, Daniel Theis and Kemba Walker, debut at #46 and #49 respectively.

Marcus Smart moved up from #38 to #35.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

When Daniel Theis was draft eligible in 2013, the German Center was not on anyone’s radar.  This changed when, after four seasons as a German League All-Star and German League Champion with Brose Bamberg, he was on the North American radar, and the Celtics signed him in 2017.

Theis was a bench player in his first two years, barely averaging 14 Minutes per Game, but he was a nice change of pace with his European style of play.  While he was not the most physical player, Theis can’t be classified as soft either.

In 2019-20, Theis became a starter and showed improvement defensively, averaging 1.3 Blocks per game and posting a Celtic-high 6.6 Rebounds per Game.  This was much of the same in 2020-21, and he helped them go deep into the playoffs.  He left Boston when he was traded during the 2020-21 season to the Bulls, but returned in 2022 when his then team, Houston, traded him back to Boston for their playoff run.  Theis, who helped Boston reach the NBA Finals, was traded again after, this time to Indiana.

After one year at Duke, Jayson Tatum was a proven lottery pick, taken third overall in the 2017 Draft.  It didn’t take long for Tatum to prove the Celtics correct in selecting him.

Blessed with incredible footwork and slick shooting, Tatum was an All-Rookie and an immediate starter, usually at Small Forward, and has there been a season thus far where we have not seen his game improve?  Tatum went to his first of what is currently four straight All-Star Games in his third season (2019-20), when he netted his first 20-plus PPG season (23.4).  The year after, he raised that to over 26, and was now the unquestioned leader of the Celtics and an upper-echelon performer.  If there was any doubt about that, it was erased in 2021-22, when he led Boston to the NBA Finals (losing to Golden State) and captured the inaugural Eastern Conference Finals MVP.  He was also named a First Team All-Star.  In the 2022-23 season, Tatum broke 30 Points per Game and was the league leader in Points with 2,225.  He was again named a First Team All-NBA player.

Tatum had his ultimate breakthrough two years ago when he led the Celtics to the NBA Championship after a 26.9 PPG season and a third consecutive First Team All-NBA selection.  This propelled Tatum into the Celtics stratosphere, and if he remains with Boston for years to come, it is possible that a top-five ranking among the most prestigious basketball franchises could come his way. However, he has to recover from his torn ACL.

We won't bet against him.

Taken number 3 in the 2016 Draft after playing a year at California, Jaylen Brown has to date played five seasons with the Boston Celtics, where he emerged as an All-Star.

Brown was an All-Rookie player, but he would become a starter in his second year, doubling his PPG from 6.6 to 14.5. His third season was a year of regression, as he lost his shooting touch and only started 20 Games, but Brown’s fourth year showed the exact progression that the Celtics brass hoped for.  The Shooting Guard increased his PPG to over 20, with his advanced metrics also rising.  

Three years ago, Brown made his first All-Star and had career bests in Points (24.7), Assists (3.4), and PER (19.9), and the year after had similar numbers.  Brown elevated his game to another level last season, adding All-Star number two and prizing his first All-NBA nod (Third Team).  He set personal bests in Points (26.6) and Rebounds per Game (6.9), and became a top-tier player, though he was still disrespected.

Brown and the Celtics rocketed to an easy NBA Championship in 2024, with him winning the ECF and NBA Finals MVPs,  Brown proved his value to many of the doubters.   Last season, Brown found himself without Tatum during the playoffs, and though he had another All-Star selection, he will have to prove what he can do without his top running mate.