5 best players in Boston Celtics history

3. John Havlicek

“Hondo” is the Celtics’ all-time leading scorer with 26,395 points, and he has also played the most games (1,270) in franchise history. He helped define the sixth-man role we’ve come to know now, and his list of accomplishments is long.

Havlicek was part of eight Celtics’ championship squads, with team going 8-0 in those final series. He was an 13-time All-Star over 16 seasons (1963-1978) and an eight-time NBA All-Defensive team selection (first team five times, second team three times).

Havlicek’s name doesn’t quickly come to mind when thinking of the NBA’s all-time greats, and there’s probably a strong argument that I have him too low on this list. Long-time teammate Bill Russell once called Havlicek the best all-around player he ever saw, which is obviously high praise and says it all.

Havlicek’s all-around skill set, and ability to function as a shooting guard and small forward, would fit well in today’s increasingly position-less NBA game that demands multi-faceted skills from all five players on the floor. Even though it’s usually a fruitless exercise to compare across eras, since things constantly change, I’m comfortable saying Havlicek would be a great player today too.