The top 5 Boston Celtics rookie seasons of all-time

4. Antoine Walker (1996-97): 17.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.3 steals

In 1996 the Boston Celtics drafted a superstar with the 6th overall pick. That pick was Antoine Walker. He put up an incredible stat line as an immediate starter playing 36.2 minutes per game. He continued to improve, and when Paul Pierce joined him in 1998 the pair became an iconic duo in the NBA.

Sadly, Walker fell out of favor in Boston and played just 7 seasons there before joining the Dallas Mavericks. He then was traded to the Atlanta Hawks. In 2004-05 though, he rejoined the Celtics. That year he was solid, but he chose to move on to the Miami Heat before finishing his career in Minnesota.

Walker finished with 8 Celtics seasons under his belt and career Boston numbers of 20.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. It would have been interesting to see what he could have done if he remained with the Celtics for all 13 of his NBA seasons. He maybe could have even been a role player on Boston’s 2008 championship team.