Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2023 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 National Basketball Association.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

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

Last year, Boston made history by winning their 18^th NBA Championship, giving them the sole lead.  Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led the Celtics from beginning to end, giving us some significant list jumps, though no new entrants.  That will likely change next year.

As always, we present our top five, which saw no changes:

1. Bill Russell
2. Larry Bird
3. John Havlicek
4. Bob Cousy
5. Paul Pierce

You can find the entire list here.

Jayson Tatum, who added another First Team All-NBA, moved from #15 to #12.

Al Horford inched up three spots to #19.

Jaylen Brown, who won the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals MVP vaulted to #21 from #27.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

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 post 2022/23 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 National Basketball Association.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

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

Last year, Boston made it to their second Eastern Conference Final, and they are legit contenders to make it there again.  There were some significant jumps on the list based on last season.

As always, we present our top five, which was not affected by the last season:

1. Bill Russell

2. Larry Bird

3. John Havlicek

4. Bob Cousy

5. Paul Pierce

You can find the entire list here.

Jayson Tatum only went up two spots to #15, despite a second consecutive First Team All-NBA, but that is more due to the incredible players the franchise has had. 

Veteran Center, Al Horford, went up two spots to #22.

Jaylen Brown, who was named a Third Team All-NBA player last year, advanced five spots to #27.

Marcus Smart, who is now with Memphis did not jump from #29.  This is not a reflection on Smart’s season, but more of a commentary on how loaded this list is and how hard it is to jump.

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

Four times an All-Star with the Atlanta Hawks, Al Horford signed with the Boston Celtics in 2016 with the hope that this would be the team that would earn him his first NBA Championship.  It finally happened in 2024.

In Horford’s first season in Boston, he averaged 14 Points per Game and was a solid defensive player, aiding the Celtics in pushing Cleveland to a seventh Games in the Eastern Conference Finals.  The year after, Horford added his fifth All-Star, won Second Team All-Defensive honors, and again helped lead his team to the ECF, again losing to the Cavaliers.  After another solid season in 2018-19 where he averaged 12.6 Points and had a career-best .586 in Effective Shooting Percentage, Horford signed with division rival Philadelphia, but that did not end his story in Boston.

The Celtics reacquired Horford, who was now with Oklahoma City in a trade before the 2021/22 Season, and though the Center was aging, he was still a valuable starter capable of big moments.  Horford and the Celtics made it to the 2022 Finals, and though in 2022/23 he dipped below 10 Points per Game for the first time, his leadership still helped the Celtics make another deep playoff run.

Last year, Horford only started in half of his games, but though he has a reduced role, his veteran presence and defensive skills helped Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown win it all, with the trio winning their first NBA Championship.

Pre-2019-20 Rank: #23.  Pre-2020-21 Rank: #25, Pre-2021-21 Rank #27, Pre-2022-23 Rank: #28, Pre-2023-24 Rank: #26

*Peak Period:  From 2009-10 to 2015-16

Last year, we said, “Al Horford's best years are behind him, but he is still a starter on an excellent Boston Celtics team that could win it all in 2024.”

That is what happened.

Horford has five All-Star Games on his resume, an NBA Champion, but the Hall looks at it all, including two NCAA Championships at Florida.  This is a better candidate than you might think, and he is still a favored championship contender.

Far from a one-dimensional Center, Al Horford was the third overall draft pick in 2007 and paid early dividends for the Atlanta Hawks.  A runner-up for Rookie of the Year honors, Horford had two back-to-back All-Star runs (2010-11 & 2015-16) and never had a season where he fell below 10 Points per Game.  Horford would also post seasons with a PER above 20.