The Ringer's Top 100 players list smiles brightly on the Boston Celtics roster
By Kyle Collis
The Ringer has recently updated their top 100 player rankings for the NBA. The newly revamped rankings contain six Boston Celtics players, which is tied for the most players on the list with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Ranking players is entirely subjective, so you will never be able to create something that is universally agreed upon. But The Ringer brings together some good basketball minds, including their founder Bill Simmons as well as their analysts Rob Mahoney, Michael Pina, Chris Ryan, Justin Verrier, and Zach Kram, to curate this list.
So which Celtics do these analysts see as the top 100 players, and where did they rank them?
No. 5: Jayson Tatum
Just cracking the top five is Jayson Tatum. Despite struggling for a portion of the NBA Finals, it doesn’t seem like The Ringer’s staff forgot who the Celtics' best player was all season long. Since 2024, Tatum has been in the top eight and peaked at as high as six until now.
His fantastic Game 5 performance definitely helped his case, as The Ringer, for now, sees Tatum as a top-five player. The players ahead of Tatum in order of number four to number one are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, and Nikola Jokic.
After being crowned champion, this seems like a good spot for Tatum.
No. 15: Jaylen Brown
One of the biggest risers on the list is Jaylen Brown, who now makes it into the top 15. Before the update, Brown sat at either 25 or 26. Now, after his incredible playoff run, Brown is deservedly climbing the ranks.
This is a player who has continuously improved on his weaknesses, gotten better, and now has a championship and Finals MVP to show for it. Some of the players ahead of Brown in order of numbers 14 to 9 are Kawhi Leonard, Devin Booker, LeBron James, Jalen Brunson, Anthony David, and Kevin Durant.
It’s very likely that Brown can continue to climb this list, as four of the players listed ahead of him are in their thirties, and, like previously stated, Brown just keeps getting better.
No. 37: Derrick White
Unlike Brown, Derrick White has stayed pretty consistent with his ranking, being anywhere from 42 to 35, but now ending the year at 37. White doesn’t really have one glaring weakness in his game, which is why he sees himself well in the top half of players in the league.
This ranking means that The Ringer views White as the Celtics' third-best player, following the Jay’s. It would depend on who you ask, but you can’t argue that he has cemented himself as one of the most important keys to success for the Boston Celtics and a premier guard in the NBA.
No. 38 Jrue Holiday
Immediately following White at number 38 is Jrue Holiday. Last ranked at No. 47 in April, Holiday takes a pretty big leap up the list. Holiday, like White, is another guard who is amazing defensively and has no major flaws.
Depending on the day, White and Holiday are interchangeable in terms of who you would rank higher, which is the beauty of this guard pairing. In The Finals, Holiday had some really great scoring nights when he was needed to while continuing to make winning plays like crashing the offensive glass and playing stellar defence.
During the course of the regular season, Holiday wasn’t relied upon to do much scoring, but showed he could in the playoffs, which, on top of everything else he does, is the reason he has risen up the rankings.
No. 42: Kristaps Porzingis
Shortly following the guard pairing of White and Holiday is Kristaps Porzinigs at No. 42. Porzinigs truly unlocked a whole new version of the Boston Celtics, and it was on full display in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. His ability to destroy switching defense, space the floor with his three-point shooting, and his rim protection make him one of the best big men in the league.
If Porzinigs didn’t go down with an injury early in the playoffs and then again in the NBA Finals, he would likely be placed a lot higher than 42. Unfortunately, one of the risks that comes with Porzingis is how much he is prone to injury. A fully healthy season and playoff run by Porzinigis is definitely worthy of a higher ranking, it’s just a matter of whether that can ever happen.
No. 100 Al Horford
Rounding out the list, at number 100, is none other than the ageless wonder -- and Raising Cane's enthusiast -- Al Horford. For Horford to be 38 years old and still be a major contributor to a championship team is nothing short of incredible and shows why he deserves a spot on the list.
At times during the season, Horford fell off the list completely, but after continuing to show his value all playoffs long, he made his way back to No. 100. Value-wise, you can argue he deserves to be even higher, as the Celtics would not be champions today without the amazing services of Al Horford.