2 former Boston Celtics guards amongst B/R’s Top Sixth Men since 2000

The Boston Celtics have had their fair share of memorable bench pieces over the years. Kevin McHale gave the C’s firepower off the bench back in the 80’s, and in more recent years Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Smart have been key players in that role.

McHale won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award twice, first in 1983-84, and again in 1984-85. In 1983-84 he averaged 18 points and seven rebounds playing 72 games off of the bench. The following year he put up just under 20 points and nine rebounds playing 48 games coming off the bench. Neither Thomas nor Smart have taken home the sixth man hardware during their time playing in the association.

It’s very possible that Boston sees another one of their players take home the award. Malcolm Brogdon is primed for a run at Sixth Man of the Year should he stay healthy. He’ll be giving the Boston Celtics some much needed reinforcement off the bench. Last season he averaged 19 points and six assists in 36 games for the Indiana Pacers. The Cs landed Brogdon in a trade earlier this summer, sending Aaron Nesmith, Daniel Theis, Nik Stauskas, Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, and a 2023 first round pick back to the Pacers.

However, Bleacher Report’s list with the top sixth men since 2000 didn’t include Thomas, Smart, or Brogdon. Of course, McHale predates the cutoff for the list and wasn’t a part of it. B/R’s Zach Buckley did include two former Boston Celtics in his top five. Both Leandro Barbosa and Jason Terry found themselves on Buckley’s list.

Barbosa came in at the fifth spot, Buckley citing his time with the Phoenix Suns as reason why, saying:

"“While the entire “Seven Seconds or Less” Phoenix Suns played at warp speed, Barbosa had a top gear the others couldn’t match.Aptly nicknamed the Brazilian Blur, he’d dart around defenders and send the scoreboard spinning before they could even react. That was if they were lucky enough to keep up with him in the first place, as he routinely torched teams in transition.“You constantly had to be aware of him,” Shaun Livingston, who later teamed with Barbosa in Golden State, said in 2016, per Scott Cacciola of the New York Times. “Because if you didn’t, he was gone: Where did this dude go?”While Phoenix’s frenetic pace probably inflated Barbosa’s numbers, the production was still incredible. Between the 2005-06 and 2008-09 seasons, he averaged 15.4 points, 3.0 assists and 2.7 rebounds along with a 47.4/41.0/83.1 shooting slash. He was crowned Sixth Man of the Year in 2006-07 and was an annual candidate throughout that run.”"

The ‘Brazilian Blur’ played 41 games for the Celtics in the 2012-13 campaign. He averaged just five points in his time in Boston.

Terry was ranked one spot above Barbosa, coming in at the number four spot:

"“If you retraced the biggest domino drops in Dallas Mavericks history, Terry’s embrace of a sixth-man role would land impressively high up the list.As a combo guard who could find shots for himself and others, he was the perfect catalyst for the Mavs’ second unit. In his first season as a super-sub (2007-08), he averaged 15.5 points (on 46.7 percent shooting) and 3.2 assists (against 1.1 turnovers). In his second, he captured Sixth Man of the Year honors by averaging 19.6 points, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals while amassing a 46.3/36.6/88.0 shooting slash.“He’s a great guy in the locker room. He’s one of our emotional leaders, always firing up the crowd,” Dirk Nowitzki told reporters. “He’s one of the best clutch players I’ve ever seen.”As if out to prove his teammate prescient, Terry saved his best for the Mavs’ biggest moment. He handled the Robin role to Nowitzki’s Batman turn in the 2011 Finals, averaging Dallas’ second-most points (18.0 on 49.4/39.3/75.0 shooting) and delivering one of the series’ signature baskets with a clutch three-pointer over LeBron James.”"

The Jet was also a member of the 2012-13 Boston Celtics. He was brought in as a replacement after Ray Allen jumped ship to go play for the Miami Heat. He averaged 10 points in 79 games for the C’s during that season. Terry was also a part of the famous trade with the Brooklyn Nets that netted Boston the picks that turned into Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.