Top 5 Boston Celtics draft busts in franchise history
1. 2001 draft class
Only two years after Mercer left, the Celtics had a chance to make all sorts of waves in the league. Three first-round picks were held and the Boston Celtics missed out on all three.
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The 10th-pick was none other than Joe Johnson. The very same future 7-time all-star Johnson. His tenure lasted all of 41 games before being traded to Phoenix halfway through the season.
Johnson, of course, went from averaging a mere 6.3 points per game in Boston to over 16 on his career and one wonders what might have been with him and Pierce roaming the court together.
The next pick also belonged to Boston and they selected Kedrick Brown. Brown was going to be the man who anchored the middle. He ended up having a tougher go of it than Montross did seven season earlier.
Brown ended playing parts of three seasons with Boston, throwing down career averages of 3.1 points and 2.6 rebounds.
The final puzzle piece of the first round in 2001 was Joseph Forte out of North Carolina. Forte’s successful college career never carried over to the NBA. Forte played eight games for the Celtics, scoring a total of six points.
Next: The top 5 Boston Celtics rookie seasons of all-time
Oh. And to make matters worse, Tony Parker was still available.
Turns out you really do win some and lose some.