Chowder and Champions
Fansided

Boston Celtics: Top 10 “Could Have Been’s” Since 1996

By Jamie Gallagher

Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; General view of the stage before the start of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; General view of the stage before the start of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
9 of 11
Next
Boston Celtics
Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports /

Number 3: Tracy McGrady

Career Averages: 19.6 Points/5.6 Rebounds/4.4 Assists/1.2 Steals

Awards: NBA Most Improved Player 2001-02/7x NBA All Star/2x All NBA First Team/3x All NBA Second Team/2x All NBA Third Team/2x Scoring Champion

We already covered the Celtics first mistake in regards to the 1997 Draft (Chauncey Billups) but perhaps their biggest mistake of the draft was taking Ron Mercer with the 6th overall pick over Tracy McGrady.

T-Mac was taken with the 9th pick in draft by the Toronto Raptors and before injuries marred his career, McGrady was one of the best players the league had seen in the new millennium. From 2001 to 2007 Tracy McGrady made 7 consecutive All Star appearances and over that span never averaged less than 24 points per game in a given season.

In the 2002-03 season McGrady averaged 32.1 points per game. The only other players to have averaged more since the 1997 draft were Allen Iverson (33 ppg) and Kobe Bryant (35.4 ppg) both in 2006, a year after rule changes made scoring easier across the league. 

While Ron Mercer was certainly not what many would consider to be a “bust” he never came close to putting up the numbers that McGrady did. He did however make the All Rookie Team as a member of the Celtics, and averaged around 17 points per game in his sophomore season before being traded by the Celtics that following offseason.

Mercer wasn’t necessarily a mistake, but in comparison to Tracy McGrady – the Celtics missed out big time. Had McGrady been able to stay healthy for the length of his career we would be sitting here talking about him as one of the best players to have played the game, and he’d be a lock for the Hall of Fame.

That being said, when T-Mac was healthy he was one the best in the league and certainly one the most prolific players in the last 20 years. McGrady’s shortened career is just as disappointing as the Celtics not drafting him in 1997.

Next: Revolutionary Point Guard

Home/Boston Celtics