Boston Celtics: Top 10 NBA Draft picks in franchise history

3. Paul Pierce (SF) — No. 10 pick in 1998 NBA Draft

Career stats (with the Celtics):  1,102 GP, 21.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.4 STL, 0.6 BLK, 2.9 TOV, 44.7 FG%, 37.0 3P%, 80.6 FT%

All right, I admit, I may be overrating Paul Pierce just a bit. I mean, does he really deserve to rank ahead of guys who won more than one title and own multiple MVPs? Probably not.

Regardless, I gave him the nod over McHale and Cowens due to his longevity (15 years with the Celtics) and the fact that he was the driving force behind making the franchise relevant again in the new millennium.

Sure, Kevin Garnett was probably the best player on the 2008 championship team, but Pierce was their go-to scorer late in games as well as their unquestioned leader.

For the record, the Finals MVP voters agreed with me, as the 6’8″ small forward won the award over Garnett and Ray Allen.

Pierce’s tenure with Boston ended before the 2014 season, when Ainge traded him (and Garnett) to the Brooklyn Nets for a whole lot of assets. (Assets that, to this day, are still paying off.)

The former Kansas Jayhawk finished his time with the Celtics with his name all over their record books: No. 2 in points scored (24,021), No. 7 in rebounds (6,651), No. 5 in assists (4,305), No. 1 in steals (1,583) and No. 1 in three-pointers made (1,823).

Not bad considering the team’s 71-year history. Not bad at all.