Inspired by yesterday’s re-ranking of all the Boston Celtics who were taken third in their respective NBA Drafts, we’re ranking all the Celtics’ draft picks by numbers, starting with the last pick of the modern draft, No. 60.
You’d think a team with 70 years of history and 17 banners would have had a lot of players taken at this late number, but surprisingly there’s only three to choose from.
In our ranking rubric, we are mainly focused on what players accomplished with the franchise, rather than over the course of their careers elsewhere; when close or necessary, we’ll use what they accomplished on other teams besides Boston.
So, who are the candidates?
No. 3: Clyde Arnold – Duquesne
Clyde was drafted 60th overall in the 1962 NBA Draft, out of Duquesne.
Arnold would never play in the NBA, waived by Boston before he ever suited up for the team in live game action.
No. 2: Thad Jaracz – Kentucky
Like Arnold, Jaracz — an undersized center even in the 1960s at 6-foot-5 — never played in the NBA despite helping to lead the Wildcats to the national title game.
He was also drafted by his hometown Kentucky Colonels in 1968, but decided to pursue a military career instead.
No. 1: Semih Erden – Fenerbahçe Ülker
Erden easily wins the first installment of this series with his modest Celtics tenure.
Drafted out of Fenerbahçe Ülker, a professional club based in Turkey, Erden was “stashed” abroad while he finished his final contract year with Fenerbahçe before joining the team in 2011-12.
He would play just 37 games for the Celtics before being dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers with Luke Harangody for draft considerations, averaging 4.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.
