Most of the Boston Celtics championships contained at least one guard that was considered at worst an All-Star, and at best, an elite player. Even though the backcourt pairing of Jrue Holiday and Derrick White didn't technically boast an All-Star, they definitely deserve to be in the conversation among the best backcourts the Celtics have ever had nonetheless.
Holiday and White are not only one of the best backcourt pairings the Celtics have ever seen, but also one of the most unique. Pairing two of the NBA's best defensive guards is one thing, but White and Holiday provide just enough offense between the two of them that, while neither fit the mold as a classic All-Star, their elite two-way play as a backcourt makes them one of the best in the league.
More than that, neither also fit the mold as a traditional point guard, and yet both have shown themselves capable of running the offense even if the Celtics don't primarily depend on them to do that. In short, what makes them so good is that they are both jack-of-all-trades guards, and they're among the best at what they do.
They cover so much ground between the two of them that their impact has given the Celtics the results they've wanted, which should, at the very least, put them in the conversation for the best backcourt pairings the Celtics have ever had.
The only way to truly gauge where they stand among the best Celtics' backcourts ever is to harp on who exactly fits the bill as the best backcourt that Boston has ever paired together during their illustrious franchise history.
Bill Sharman & Bob Cousy
Anyone even vaguely familiar with Celtics history should know about Bob Cousy, or, as JJ Redick likes to call him, one of the NBA's OG plumbers. Cousy is considered one of the NBA's pioneer stars and even to this day, one of the best point guards ever.
Not much needs to be elaborated about him because his reputation precedes him. Sharman is actually a different story, but one that should get more recognition than it does.
Sharman is among the most underappreciated Celtics legends ever, as he not only could score the basketball, but he was one of the first players to ever show the value of being a good free throw shooter, as he led the league in free throw percentage in seven of the 11 NBA seasons he played (all in Boston).
While not the best shooting guard to play for Boston, Sharman was one of the NBA's first prolific shooting guards. Add him to one of the NBA's very best point guards, and there's a fair argument that they are the best backcourt Boston has ever seen.
These two were arguably the best backcourt pairing in the 1950s, guiding the Celtics to four championships together.
KC Jones & Sam Jones
It's true that there is overlap between these two and the successful backcourt that came before them, but let it be known that when Cousy and Sharman hung it up, the Jones bros. filled the void quite well enough to keep the Celtics' dynasty going.
Sam continued what Sharman started, as he proved to be one of the NBA's best scorers during his time in Boston. In fact, when you look closer into his numbers, you'll see that Jones fit the mold as a playoff riser that the kids talk about too much. Once the Celtics started counting on Jones in the playoffs from 1962 onward, he averaged 20-plus points from then until 1968.
KC's case is a little bit different. The statistics won't reflect as such, but Jones was considered one of the best perimeter defenders of his era. His jumper wasn't exactly efficient, but pairing him with Sam made for like a fire and ice combo that kept Boston elite for years.
Every Celtics fan knows who was the true catalyst for the greatest dynasty the NBA has ever seen, but replacing what Cousy and Sharman brought was not an easy task. The Jones Bros. kept the good times rolling in Boston throughout most of the 1960s.
Danny Ainge & Dennis Johnson
The funny thing is, Holiday and White get compared to these two the most and for good reason. Neither Ainge nor Johnson were classic point guards in Boston, but they were smart two-way combo guards who thrived next to the All-Stars they played with. Sound familiar?
Johnson wasn't necessarily old when he got to Boston, but even after his impressive resume with the SuperSonics and Suns, he sacrificed his numbers to focus more on how he fit next to his teammates. In short, he fit so well next to Larry Bird that Bird once said Johnson was the best player he ever played with.
Even if his scoring wasn't what it was, Johnson kept up his elite individual defense in Boston, making four NBA All-Defense teams from 1984 to 1987. Plus he even managed to make one more All-Star team in 1985 for good measure.
Ainge never reached the same level Johnson did during his playing days, but his improved play over the course of his NBA career in Boston kept the Celtics afloat even when they were slowly becoming yesterday's news by the late-1980s.
Johnson and Ainge weren't as flashy as the two other backcourts mentioned earlier, but it's inarguable that they were fantastic complements for the original Big 3 of the 80s.
Rajon Rondo & Ray Allen
It really is a shame that when these two get brought up in conversation, the first thing that comes to mind is how much they grew to hate playing together. It overshadows the fact that when they shared the floor, Rondo and Allen made beautiful basketball together.
The Celtics haven't had many pure passers in franchise that rival prime Rondo, just like they haven't had that many pure shooters that rival prime Allen. It's why, despite the friction between them, these two had perfect chemistry with each other that never truly faded even as Allen aged.
Allen's floor spacing helped give Rondo room to operate inside the three-point line while also covering for his inefficient shooting (though Rondo improved on that front over time). Rondo's passing abilities helped Allen find ways to get open while Rondo's elite defense gave Allen plenty of cushion on that end (though Allen was never a negative defender).
The two of them made a perfect yin yang for Boston, which makes it a darn shame that the Celtics turned up with only one championship in the five years they started together when they definitely could have had more. Oh and that they couldn't stand each other.
But hey, it goes to show that despite their differences, they really did give it their all when they played together, which demonstrated that they knew that team success ruled above all else.
So where do Holiday and White rank among these backcourts? Well, since it's only been a season, it's unfair to say that they should be ranked above any of these backcourts because it's now on them to show that they can maintain last season's success.
It's why, for now, consider them around the same level of JoJo White and Charlie Scott - a heavily underrated Celtics' backcourt - but that can change in a year's time.
Holiday sounds excited to get the ball rolling, and White is coming off arguably the best season of his career. While calling them the best backcourt the Celtics have had would be a stretch, they have the chance to truly cement themselves among the very best for one of the best franchises in professional sports.
