Boston Celtics: Top 10 NBA Draft picks in franchise history
By Frank Urbina
The Boston Celtics have been around for the past 71 years. As such, their list of top 10 NBA Draft picks in franchise history is of outrageous quality.
From legendary scorers to the forefathers of dominant winning, from dynamic lead guards to treacherous post-up monsters, the Boston Celtics of old commonly put the opposition to shame. The Massachusetts-based franchise owns the title for, well, most titles won at 17 overall, among various other significant accolades.
A lot of that success was born through their triumphs in the NBA Draft. Sure, the Celtics have made outstanding free agent acquisitions before. Yes, they have also pulled off a pretty good trade or two throughout their expansive history. But mostly, it’s been their work choosing between amateur prospects that has made them the most prosperous franchise in league history.
Boston’s absurd track record in the draft is so rich, in fact, that eight of the 10 guys who made our list of best Celtics picks ever are in the Hall of Fame. I haven’t done the research to back this up, but I’m gonna go ahead and say no other team except perhaps the Los Angeles Lakers can make a similar claim.
Some of the men who made the final pecking order date back to the prehistoric era of NBA basketball; others are still trekking along to this day. Without further ado, we present the 10 best Celtics draft picks of all time.
Honorable mentions: Antoine Walker (1996), Reggie Lewis (1987), Danny Ainge (1981)