Best Celtics players since the beginning of The Sports Hub
With the Sports Hub looking back on the last 15 years of the station, James Stewart, the producer of Felger and Mazz, and James Scaramozzino, the producer of the Joe Murray Show, decided to draft the best possible Celtics starting five and sixth man since the station’s inception. The rules were simple: you had to pick a specific year for each player and they can’t be repeated, which left some wiggle room with guys like Tatum, Horford, Garnett and Brown. You could pick which position you wanted them at, but you had to specify the years with no overlap.
First Round
(Scaz) 1.1 Power Forward – Jayson Tatum – 2022-2023 Season
With the first overall pick in our Celtics draft there were numerous ways I could have gone, but after diving into the numbers I went with my gut and picked Jayson Tatum in his 2022-2023 season. Tatum was a monster in ’22-’23 averaging 30.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 74 games in 2022-23. He was selected to play in his fourth All-Star game and was an All-NBA 1st team selection.
Tatum has shown why he was a top 3 pick in the draft every season he’s been in the league, but his dominance was on full display in ’22-’23. Tatum set the Celtics franchise record with his 30.1 PPGs while still playing stellar defense. For all these reasons, I decided to take Tatum first overall as I believe he’s been the best Celtics player of the last 15 years, but performed best in ’22-’23.
(JStew) Small Forward – Paul Pierce – 2010-11 Season
With Jayson Tatum going first, I was thrilled to take “The Captain” and “The Truth” Paul Pierce as my first selection. Pierce would be an All Star in 2010-11 ending the regular season averaging 18.9 PPG, 5 rebounds and 3 assists per game. Pierce matching up defensively with Tatum or the next pick is a dream “what if” match up for many Celtics fans.
Second Round
2.1 (JStew) Shooting Guard – Ray Allen – 2010-11 Season
I know YOU all hate Ray Allen because he left the Celtics to go ring chasing with LeBron James and the Miami Heat and even won LeBron James a championship with a clutch shot in the NBA Finals BUT remember, Allen coming to Boston, played a role in getting Kevin Garnett to come to Boston and securing Banner 17. Ray at age 35 was an NBA All Star and finished the regular season shooting 49% from the field, 44% from three and averaging 16.5 PPG. Allen will go into the NBA Hall of Fame as a top 5 shooter in league history.
2.2 (Scaz) Point Guard – Rajon Rondo – 2009-2010 Season
With my second pick, I had to take maybe my favorite Celtics player of all time. He’s one who embodied everything Celtics fans love and he’s Rajon Rondo. Rondo was the little brother to the Big 3 in the ’08 championship season, but as the Big 3 aged Rondo grew and ascended to being one of the best point guards in the league and this was never more on display than in the 2009-2010 season.
Rondo averaged 13.7 points, 9.8 assists and 4.4 rebounds in 81 games in 2009-10. Rajon was the best passer in the league and was a constant on the floor for Boston during that season. While the Big 3 were still the super stars of the team, Rondo was the glue facilitating plays and making his impact on the boards even as a guard. Rondo was selected to his first All-star team during this season and in my opinion, he is a very deserved second round pick in this draft.
Third Round
3.1 (Scaz) Small Forward – Jaylen Brown – 2023-2024 Season
With the first pick in the third round I had to go with Jaylen Brown. In ’23-’24 Brown averaged 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 70 games. Showcasing his continued growth since he stepped into the league, Brown’s ascension was on full display last season taking on defensive responsibility while still being one of the better scorers.
Not to mention that Brown was selected to play in his third All-Star game and would go on to win the ECF MVP, the Finals MVP and his first NBA championship, so I love getting Jaylen with this pick. ’23-23 was his best season as a pro and I still believe he has room to improve.
3.2 (JStew) Power Forward – Kevin Garnett – 2010-11 Season
In 2011, Kevin Garnett was still a pivotal figure for the Boston Celtics, continuing to showcase why he was considered one of the NBA’s premier power forwards. The 2011 playoffs were particularly hard for the Celtics, as they were expected to challenge for the championship but were outmatched by a younger, more dynamic LeBron James lead Miami Heat team. The series with Miami highlighted the beginning of the end of the “Big Three” era in Boston. The Pierce, Allen, Garnett Trio will always hold a special place in my cold, Green, Heart.
Fourth Round
4.1 (JStew) Center – Robert Williams – 2021-22 Season
Williams became a defensive anchor for the Celtics, often changing games with his blocks and altering shots. His presence allowed the Celtics to switch more freely on defense. One of his standout stats was his 2.2 blocks per game, leading the NBA in this category. His timing and athleticism made him a formidable presence in the paint. His performance earned him a spot on the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, a testament to his impact on that end of the floor.
4.2 (Scaz) Center – Al Horford – 2017-2018 Season
Al Horford has been such a constant for the Celtics, so I debated which version to choose. After diving into the numbers I settled on the ’17-’18 version of Horford. In that season, he averaged 12.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 72 games and he was selected to his 5th All-star game. While Al is still putting up a great fight against Father Time now, there’s no debating that his athleticism was more on display back then. He was the key piece of Boston’s defense.
The only downfall to this version of Horford is he hadn’t quite developed the consistent 3 point shot that he has now, but he was still a consistent scorer even then. He was arguably the most reliable player on the team that year, playing in 72 games. That’s something we won’t be seeing Al do this year unless something goes very wrong for Boston.
Fifth Round
5.1(Scaz) Shooting Guard – Derrick White – 2023-2024 Season
With Ray Allen drafted by JStew and myself taking Jaylen as a small forward, the shooting guard options were a little limited compared to other categories. That being said, after this past season how could I not take Derrick White? White is the definition of a winning basketball player. He’s an immediate impact player every time he steps on the floor and has made himself into one of the best rim protecting guards in recent memory.
He does this all while still being an offensive weapon that can get hot at anytime and take over a game. Derrick White averaged 15.2 points, 5.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds in 73 games in 2023-24. White proved to be a homerun move right away for Celtics GM Brad Stevens but he cemented himself as one of the better two way guards in the league as a starter in year 2 for the Celtics. Becoming a huge part of a championship team and earning himself a big contract to go along with it.
5.2 (JStew) Point Guard – Kyrie Irving – 2017-18 Season
I hated picking Kyrie Irving, I’m not a fan of the issues that Kyrie Irving brings to a basketball team BUT based on numbers and the idea of matching Kyrie up with Rondo on paper was VERY appealing to me. Irving played in 60 games during the regular season, missing several due to various injuries, which became a recurring theme in his tenure with Boston. He averaged 24.4 points per game, dished out 5.1 assists per game and shot 49.1% from the field and 40.1% from three-point range.
Sixth round
6.1 (JStew) 6th Man – Rasheed Wallace – 2009-10 Season
Wallace was brought in to bolster the Celtics’ frontcourt, providing veteran leadership, defensive prowess, and a stretch four capability with his outside shooting. Rasheed Wallace came off the bench in 66 of his 79 games played with 9PPG / 4RPG / 1 ast / 1 steal / 1 block per game. Cedrick Maxwell during his radio broadcast on opening night noted how Wallace would be a valuable weapon coming off the bench or spot starting. His biggest spot start came in a losing effort against the Lakers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
6.2 (Scaz) 6th man – Marcus Smart – 2017-2018 season
The hardest pick of this draft was the last, not because I didn’t want to pick Marcus but the Celtics sixth man role has been somewhat volatile over the years. Looking back now I do feel like it’s a pretty big blunder to not select Malcolm Brogdon who literally was the 6th man of the year while he was on the Celtics, but I can’t change my pick now. As for why I picked Marcus I think he brings everything to a team that you would want off the bench. I know his untimely shooting early in the shot clock rubbed some fans the wrong way late during his time in Boston.
However Marcus was a constant disruptor on the defensive end the second he stepped into the league and in 17-18′ he averaged 10.2 points, 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 54 games mostly coming off the bench. So while Brogdon may have made the most sense I think Marcus is more of a Celtic and deserves to be on the roster.
James Stewarts’s team
PG. Kyrie Irving – 2017-18 season
SG. Ray Allen – 2010-11 season
SF. Paul Pierce – 2010-11 season
PF. Kevin Garnett – 2010-11 season
C. Robert Williams – 2021-22 season
6th man. Rasheed Wallace – 2009-10 season
James Scaramozzino’s team
PG. Rajon Rondo – 2009-2010 season
SG. Derrick White – 2023-2024 season
SF. Jaylen Brown – 2023-2024 season
PF. Jayson Tatum – 2022-2023 season
C. Al Horford – 2017-2018 season
6th man. Marcus Smart – 2017-2018 season
