The Boston Celtics have a long history of NBA success. Along with a long history of team success, the organization has produced a slew of hall of famers. On the other hand, there have been certain players on whom the team has either fumbled or decided to cling for much too long (for a variety of reasons).
We look at a few recent players who the Celtics should have broken relations with sooner but for one reason or another decided to keep them around for much too long.
Romeo Langford (2019-22)
Almost from the onset, it was pretty clear that the Boston Celtics had “missed” on Romeo Langford, who was selected in the lottery (14th overall) of the 2019 NBA Draft. During his rookie season with the Celtics (which, in fairness, was impacted by injury), Langford appeared sparingly for Boston and averaged 2.5 points on 35 percent shooting from the field.
Tony Allen (2004-10)
As a late first-round pick during the 2004 NBA Draft, Tony Allen became a contributing part of the Boston Celtics’ success during the 2000s. He also played a role for the team during the C’s Big 3 championship in 2008. Allen statistically had his best season in 2006-07. He only played 33 games that year but would go on to average 12 points and four rebounds on 51 percent shooting from the field.
urrently a free agent.
Enes Freedom (2019-20; 21-22)
As one of the most polarizing players in the NBA in recent history, Enes Freedom, formerly known as Enes Kanter, is a player that the Boston Celtics could’ve probably done without giving two separate stints.
Tacko Fall (2019-21)
You have to give the Boston Celtics a little credit for trying to make Tacko Fall happen. After Fall went undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft, Boston took a flier on the 7-foot-6 big man out of the University of Central Florida.
Semi Ojeleye (2017-21)
During the 2017 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics took a flier on Semi Ojeleye, an intriguing wing prospect out of SMU.
Brian Scalabrine (2005-10)
The White Mamba, or Brian Scalabrine, is a player that is going to live forever in the minds of those that followed the late-2000s Boston Celtics closely. Not a huge contributor by any means, but he was the consummate professional and exact role player that every team wants at the end of the bench.
James Young (2014-17)
After the 2013-14 season, now in the post-big 3 era, the Boston Celtics needed a player and a foundation to rally around as a new build was beginning. With the sixth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, the Celtics took Marcus Smart. But it was largely their selection with the 17th overall pick that many were fawning over.
Payton Pritchard (2020-present)
As a late first-round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, there was hope that the incredibly seasoned and NBA-ready Payton Pritchard may contribute to a struggling Boston Celtics squad in the Eastern Conference. And that’s exactly what Pritchard was able to do during his rookie season with the Celtics. Pritchard appeared in 66 games for the Celtics in 2020-21, averaging eight points per game on 41 percent three-point shooting. The most important figure is that he played 19 minutes each game on average.
Rajon Rondo (2006-15)
You can’t discuss the modern Boston Celtics’ story without including Rajon Rondo. He was an underappreciated and underappreciated contributor to the team’s success with the big three and developed as his own star during his time in Boston. At the same time, one could argue that the Celtics held on to Rondo for a couple of years too long. To be fair, part of that was due to injuries, but they still wasted an opportunity to maximize on his value.
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