Boston Celtics’ Draft History (2006-2015)

Alan Draper profile picture
Sports Editor

Over the past 10 NBA Drafts (2006-2015), the Boston Celtics have made 23 selections, yielding just one All-Star in Rajon Rondo.

The following table details the Celtics’ track record by tiers, noting the number of All-Stars and starters selected, along with players who either never made the league or were out in five years or less:

Tier Picks All-Star All-Star Appearances Starter* Not in NBA
1-5 0 0 0 0 0
6-10 1 0 0 0 0
11-15 1 0 0 0 0
16-20 3 0 0 1 (33.3%) 0
21-25 3 1 (33.3%) 4 1 (33.3%) 1 (33.3%)
26-30 3 0 0 0 2 (66.7%)
31-40 3 0 0 0 1 (33.3%)
41-50 3 0 0 0 3 (100%)
51-60 6 0 0 0 5 (83.3%)
Total 23 1 (4.3%) 4 2 (8.7%) 12 (52.2%)

*Starter criteria determined as an average of 50 or more starts, over at least 40 percent of the player’s career.

The following is the league average over the same tiers:

Tier All-Star Starter Not in NBA
1-5 12 (24%) 30 (60%) 3 (6%)
6-10 8 (16%) 30 (60%) 7 (14%)
11-15 2 (4%) 12 (24%) 8 (16%)
16-20 3 (6%) 10 (20%) 8 (16%)
21-25 2 (4%) 8 (16%) 15 (30%)
26-30 1 (2%) 5 (10%) 20 (40%)
31-40 1 (2%) 11 (11%) 52 (52%)
41-50 2 (2%) 8 (8%) 70 (70%)
51-60 1 (1%) 1 (1%) 87 (87%)
Total 32 (5.3%) 115 (19.7%) 270 (45.0%)

The Celtics’ overall draft percentages are below the league average, though Rondo was an excellent pick and a championship contributor.

Note that players are included with the team through any draft-day trades.  Some teams pick well but let an eventual starter leave for another, but that’s beyond the scope of this article.  Recently drafted players have yet to officially pass the “at least five years” test, but were considered as such if on a team’s roster by the end of the 2015-16 season.  Additionally, recent picks who have yet to join the NBA may still do so, but for this analysis are considered “out.”

Pick History 2006-2015

All-Stars: Rajon Rondo (2006-21) — four appearances

Starters: Rondo, Avery Bradley (2010-19)

Rotation Players: Glen Davis (2007-35), E’Twaun Moore (2011-55), Jared Sullinger (2012-21), Kelly Olynyk (2013-13), Marcus Smart (2014-6), James Young (2014-17), Terry Rozier (2015-16), R.J. Hunter (2015-28), Jordan Mickey (2015-33)

Out in Five Years or Less: Leon Powe (2006-49),Gabe Pruitt (2007-32), JR Giddens (2008-30), Bill “Henry” Walker (2008-47), Semih Erden (2008-60), Lester Hudson (2009-58), Luke Harangody (2010-52), JaJuan Johnson (2011-27), Fab Melo (2012-22), Kris Joseph (2012-51), Colton Iverson (2013-53), Marcus Thornton (2015-45)

Alan is an expert gambling writer who works as one of the chief editors for Basketball Insiders. He has been covering online gambling and sports betting for over 8 years, having written for the likes of Sportlens, Compare.bet, The Sports Daily, 90min, and TopRatedCasinos.co.uk. His particular specialisms include US online casinos and gambling regulations, and soccer and basketball betting. Based in London, Alan holds an MA in English Literature and is a passionate supporter of Chelsea FC.