Amir Johnson is one of Boston’s newest Celtics. As a new member of the team, he gets to pick a new number. But, his options were a bit limited because, as he said…
Every number 1-34 is basically retired. My first initial number, I picked No. 5, but I know there was going to kind of be some controversy with that because Kevin Garnett won a championship. So I knew that was pretty much out the water. My number of course, was retired.
So Amir chose the number 90. This got me wondering…
… what would an All-Time team of numbers still in circulation look like?
Of course, when compiling this team, we had to have rules. #34 was out because that’s not really going to be in circulation. Ditto for #5. Also this is about a player’s time in Boston, so Dominique Wilkins’ time in Atlanta doesn’t mean squat.
This is a team of guys who have played and contributed to their Boston Celtics teams. I polled the guys on the site, and got this team:
#9, Rajon Rondo
Like him or hate him, there’s no doubt he amassed some big numbers in Boston, and he was a big part of that championship team. In 9 seasons, #9 averaged 8.5 assists, 11 points, and 4.7 rebounds. He left as the team’s all-time leader in assists per game, and 4th overall in total assists, as well as the team’s single-season record holder for assists (794 in 2009-10).
#20 Ray Allen
Another “like him or hate him” guy, but again, Ray’s departure shouldn’t cloud what he did in Boston. Forget how he left, forget that he’s been exposed as a dick. Remember him for averaging about 17 points over five seasons in Green and holding the single-season records for free throw percentage (95.2% in 2008-09) and three-point percentage (45.3% in 2011-12). He’s also the team’s career leader in free-throw percentage (91.5%). He WAS part of that new Big 3, even though our allegiances now fall almost exclusively with Pierce and Garnett.
#42 Tony Allen
Allen is established as one of the best defensive players in the league. He was just as good in Boston, but what people may forget was the stretch he had as Boston’s primary scorer when Paul Pierce went down in the 2006-07 season. Yes, he stupidly blew out his knee on a failed dunk attempt after the whistle, but before that, he’d put up 6-straight 20-plus point games. He was on his way to another (he had 19 points) when he tried that after-the-whistle mess. Who knows what would have happened had he never tried that.
#8 Antoine Walker
Antoine was nothing if not entertaining. He was a relentless chucker (he hold the top 3 spots on the team single-season 3-point attempts list, and is the only player in Celtics history to attempt more than 600 in a season… which he did twice) but he is also only one of four Celtics to average more than 20 points per game in his career. He was a 3-time All Star in Boston who also had some underrated success in other areas of the game (6th on the Celtics career offensive rebound list and defensive rebound list*, 5th in steals). And of course, he had the “Walker Wiggle,” which will never be forgotten.
#7 Al Jefferson
There was actually no consensus on the final slot, so I made the executive decision to go with Big Al here. Jefferson’s Boston days were hampered by injuries, but his advanced numbers show why he was coveted highly enough to be a palatable centerpiece to the Kevin Garnett trade. His best rebounding years, percentage-wise, were in Boston. He also had a very good 18.2 PER in his three years here. His highest true-shooting percentage with any team was also in Boston (54.5%). Personally, I remember being upset that they’d given up on a kid with so much promise. Obviously, things worked out in Boston’s favor, but it’s clear he would have blossomed into a very good piece for the Celtics’ future.
Also receiving votes:
#0 Walter McCarty – Maybe Tommy Heinsohn’s favorite player, McCarty was a stretch-4 or stretch-5 before people had terms for that. He’s 5th all time in 3-point attempts and field goals for Boston, shooting 35% from 3 in 8 seasons here.
#7 Kenny Anderson – In 5 years as Boston’s point guard, he averaged 11.3 points, 5.2 assists and 1.6 steals.
#7 Marquis Daniels – A key bench player during the new Big 3 era, he was a fan favorite for gutting through a number of injuries.
#7 Jared Sullinger – The only current Celtic on the list, Sully averaged 13.3 points over the last 2 seasons, and may well play a big role as a scorer and rebounder as the Celtics continue this rebuild.
#27 Jordan Crawford – Nothing if not fun, Crawford’s lone NBA honor came as a Celtic, when he won a Player of the Week award. He averaged 11.8 points as a Celtic.
#30 Rasheed Wallace – We got 1 season of Ball Don’t Lie, and it was glorious. He averaged 9 points and 4 rebounds in 79 games.
#40 Dino Radja – 2nd team all-rookie in 1994, his entire 4-year NBA career was spent in Boston, where he averaged 16.7 points and 8.4 rebounds.
#41 James Posey – The most important bench player on the Celtics 2008 title team, Posey was not only a matchup issue at his position because of his 3 point shooting, he had the best defensive season of his career in Boston.
#43 Kendrick Perkins – Big and mean, he served as the bite behind Kevin Garnett’s bark during his Boston years. Perkins defended the rim relentlessly, and is currently the Celtics 5th All Time leading shot blocker**. He’s also the team’s career field goal percentage leader.
#44 (no, not Scal) Danny Ainge – 8 seasons in Boston as a shooter to help open things up for the Big 3, Ainge played in his lone All Star Game as a Celtic, and won two titles.
#55 Eric Williams – Williams was a hard worker who carved out a long NBA career without gaudy numbers. Averaged 9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and a steal per game over 7 seasons in Boston.
*Antoine Walker is 10th on the Celtics career total rebounding list because they didn’t count offensive/defensive rebounds separately until the 1973/74 season
** Blocks did not become an official statistic until the 1973-74 season
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