The top 5 Boston Celtics rookie seasons of all-time

2. Bill Russell (1956-57): 14.7 points, 19.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists

Bill Russell may be the most iconic Boston Celtics player of all-time. He was an instant success in the NBA in 1956 with some crazy rebound numbers.

The Hall of Fame center averaged a double-double as a rookie, and that would become the standard for his career. The only season in which he didn’t average a double-double was in 1968-69, his final year on the court when he averaged just 9.9 points. His rebound number though never fell below 18.6 per game. Russell was simply on another level in the NBA. He was ahead of his time.

Russell was named to 12 All-Star teams, 11 All-NBA teams, and was a 5-time NBA MVP on his way to winning 11 NBA Championships, the most all-time.

While Bill Russell is, in my book, the greatest Boston Celtics player of all-time, there is one player who had a slightly better rookie campaign.