4 Celtics Takeaways From Action Network's Top 100 Player Rankings

The reigning champions should feel slighted by some of these rankings.

Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Action Network's Top 100 Player Rankings were released on October 9, and in the Boston Celtics' case i.e. the reigning champions who dominated all the way through to the playoffs, all they can say if they took this list seriously is, "Really?"

Granted, the Celtics have better things to do than focus their energy on how writers see them, but just looking at some of these rankings would make anyone's eyes roll.

Five Celtics made the list, and none of the players who were mentioned would surprise anyone, but where they ranked should raise some eyebrows: Jayson Tatum (10), Kristaps Porzingis (28), Jaylen Brown (32), Derrick White (37), and Jrue Holiday (56).

Not all of it is an insult to the Celtics, but it definitely breeds some comments and questions.

1. What exactly do Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown have to do?

Back in 2021, the narrative surrounding Tatum and Brown was "they're not good together." In 2022, it was then "they're not good enough together." Fast forward to 2024, and now it's "their team is just too good, but they aren't." For the record, the Celtics have made five of the last seven Eastern Conference Finals (six of the last eight if you include 2017). Just for clarity, who are the only two players who played on all five of those teams?

Since joining forces, the Jays have been the NBA's modern example of consistent excellence. They have achieved playoff success together that many teams could only dream of no matter who the Celtics surrounded them with. At some point, they deserve credit for consistently succeeding.

Now, some of the players ranked ahead of them are arguably better than them offensively (with a few being inarguable), but the majority of the players ranked ahead of them are not better (in fact, some are much worse) defensively.

Why do these rankings choose not to factor in defense? And at what point does everybody finally just tell themselves "You know what? They just might be good enough to be considered great." The goalposts have been moving for some time now. At this point, it feels like those who still do that are grasping at straws.

Also, not even Utahns think Lauri Markkanen is better than Jaylen Brown. Come on.

2. One Jay can't get praise without putting another down it seems

This is another ongoing pattern when discussing the Jays. When praising one of them, the other has to be put down. Here's what Matt Moore had to say about Brown when he came in at No. 32.

"The reality is that while Tatum is Boston’s best player, Brown had the best season of any Celtic in their title run, even before the Finals."

For the record, Moore ranked Brown at No. 22 while Brandon Anderson ranked him at No. 47. Regardless, as well-meaning as these words are, - and they are not wrong - it's another example of "(Jay X) was better than (Jay Y) during (Game/Series Z)!" that always seems to come up when these two get brought up together.

Can't people just talk normally about dynamic duos like Tatum and Brown without having to talk like they always need to be compared?

Well, hey, sentiment like this only gives Tatum and Brown the chip on the shoulder they need. They've had it since they entered the league and haven't lost it since.

3. The other Celtics are ranked pretty adequately but...

For as outrageous as the Tatum and Brown rankings were, the other Celtics' rankings were just. White, Porzingis, and Holiday are not only excellent players on their own but also excellent fits next to the Celtics' two best players. Enough said there, but there is one downside.

It feeds into the narrative that the Jays had a loaded supporting cast to help Boston win the title. Guess what? That narrative isn't wrong, but know what else? Every team should desire a core like that around their two best players in this modern age.

Take the Lakers. Much like Tatum and Brown, LeBron James and Anthony Davis are still two of the NBA's best players and one of the NBA's best duos coming off excellent performances. What did that get them last season? A first-round exit. Switch their supporting cast with Boston's, and they might be the ones hoisting Banner 18 instead of the Celtics in a week and a half.

The point is, no matter how good a star duo can be, said duo will need as much help as possible because they can only do so much on their own.

Here's a crazy thought: the Celtics are stacked, which shouldn't detract from how good the Jays are. Both of these narratives can be and certainly are true.

4. Al Horford: still getting love at 38

Horford did not make the list, and that's fair. He's Boston's backup center whose role will likely decrease even more when the 2024-25 season begins. However, Horford was named among the honorable mentions, which is also fair.

He may not be the player he once was, but Horford's decline at a snail's pace has allowed him to still be considered among the best role players in the NBA to the point where he's still considered to be in the Top 100 even if he's not a shoo-in to make the list like he once was.

It's not like Horford needed more proof of how rare of a talent he is, but it's always welcome to see him get the props he rightfully deserves.