Who have been the most important Boston Celtics players since the year 2000?
It’s an interesting question to consider for a franchise that has such a rich history from before the turn of the millennium. The Celtics do have two titles in the new century, however, so new history is being written all of the time at TD Garden.
Bleacher Report explored each NBA team’s post-2000 ‘Mount Rushmore’ this week — in other words, the four most impactful guys from each franchise.
The Celtics’ mountain was graced with the faces of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
“Most of the Boston Celtics’ Mt. Rushmore is pretty straightforward,” Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale wrote.
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“Paul Pierce is a franchise icon with a Finals MVP on his resume. Jayson Tatum was the best player on a championship team, Finals MVP results be damned. … Kevin Garnett’s inclusion isn’t worth quibbling over. He won Defensive Player of the Year during the Celtics’ 2007-08 championship campaign while hovering somewhere between their second and third offensive option. His entire Boston tenure featured four All-Defense nods, and he ranks in the top five of total points, rebounds and blocks among all Celtics during this span.”
“Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo both have claims to the final slot,” Favale continued. “Ditto for Al Horford. Rondo comes closest. His peak petered out earlier than expected, but he was a human assist and All-Defense candidate for the better part of the decade. Jaylen Brown gets the nod in the end. Winning Finals MVP carries a lot of weight, and he’s in the top five of total points (third), rebounds (fourth) and steals (fifth) for this window.”
Do you agree with BR’s assessment? Or, would you have a different Mount Rushmore for the post-2000 Celtics?
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