Top 5 Boston Celtics players of the 21st century

No 1: Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving is the greatest Boston Celtics player of the 21st century.

He’s only been here for a year or so, but his dribbling wizardry is unmatched, his shooting is elite, and his flat-earth conspiracy is more fun than anything Garnett or Rondo ever said in a press conference. This was an easy choice.

Just kidding.

Paul Pierce is the actual greatest Celtics player of the 21st century

I’m sorry, I had to do that.

Paul Pierce is the greatest Boston Celtics player of the 21st century, and it isn’t close.

How do you even begin to talk about Pierce’s contributions to this franchise? He is 2nd all-time in career points for a Celtic, 7th all-time in rebounds, 5th all-time in assists, 1st all-time in steals, and 4th all-time in blocks (blocks weren’t counted in Bill Russell’s day, so let’s say Pierce is probably 5th). He played 15 seasons for Boston. He brought the franchise to its first Conference Finals appearance in years, stuck with the franchise through its mediocre period, and was the hero of its 2008 Finals team.

Pierce’s game was sublime. He was a very capable distributor and a crafty scorer, and his elbow jumpers are the stuff of legend. People talk about mid-range scorers as inefficient, but Pierce was anything but that. His 120.1 points per shot attempt in Boston’s championship season placed him in the 95th percentile among forwards, even as his usage rate was in the 91st percentile. Kyrie Irving, largely considered a scoring savant, has only replicated that PSA mark in one season. It was only Pierce’s fifth-best season.

He was insanely good in the clutch. He was kept around NBA teams years after his talent had dropped off significantly, because nobody could drill daggers in the playoffs like him. He was the walking definition of “playing with heart.” His career averages don’t jump off the page, and he was never truly in the conversation with the game’s other elites.

But he defined Celtics Pride for a decade and a half, brought the city a championship, and gave fans too many memories to count. There is no question that he is the greatest Celtic of the 21st century.