The Boston Celtics had a 25% chance of achieving the number one pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and the lottery played out in their favor.

The first pick belongs to the Celtics as a result of the 2013 trade with Brooklyn Nets which saw Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett go to the Nets for three first-round picks in 2013, including the right to swap picks this year, which they did.

This will be the first time in the modern era which Boston has drafted from the number one overall position, but they have had a few picks inside the top ten over the past couple of years. Here are their last five first round picks that were inside the top ten.

Paul Pierce - 1998 Draft - 10th Overall

Paul Pierce, who was part of the trade with the Nets back in 2013 that helped the Celtics acquire the first overall pick this year, has just finished his last ever season in the NBA with the Los Angeles Clippers but he was fantastic during his time in Boston. 

During his 15-year stay with the Celtics, Pierce earned himself 10 NBA All-Star appearances and was also part of the team that won the NBA championship in 2008 alongside the likes of Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett. He was also the MVP of the Finals that year too.

After being traded by the Celtics in 2013, Pierce played for the Nets and the Washington Wizards before calling it a career after two seasons with the Clippers.

Randy Foye - 2006 Draft - 7th Overall

Randy Foye's career hasn't been as glamorous as Pierce's, but he has certainly played with his fair share of teams. Foye never played for the Celtics when he was drafted in 2006, as he was immediately traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, and later traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Foye would spend three seasons with the Timberwolves, being selected for the NBA All-Rookie first team in 2007, before being traded to the Wizards before the start of the 2009-10 season. After being let go by Washington, he then spent two seasons with the Clippers before moving to the Utah Jazz. 

After a season with the Jazz, Foye was then traded to the Denver Nuggets where he played for two and a half seasons before being traded once more to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He then signed with the Nets in July last year and has stayed there since.

Jeff Green - 2007 Draft - 5th Overall

After being drafted by Boston, Jeff Green was later involved in a trade that sent veteran guard Ray Allen along with the fifth pick in the second round to the Celtics in exchange for Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, the fifth overall selection and a future second-round selection to the Seattle SuperSonics.

Green made the NBA All-Rookie first team in 2008 alongside his Supersonics teammate and now Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant. However, on the February trade deadline in 2011, he was traded back to the Celtics along with Nenad Krstic and a protected 2012 first round pick originally from the Clippers, in exchange for Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson.

Green was brought back to Boston as he was seen as the future replacement to Pierce, but injuries plagued him from reaching that potential. He was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm, which required season-ending surgery, meaning he would miss the 2011–2012 season.

In January 2015, Green was traded to the Memphis Grizzles, where he spent just over a year before being traded to the Clippers in February 2016. Later that same year, he signed with the Orlando Magic where he still is today.

Marcus Smart - 2014 Draft - 6th Overall

Marcus Smart endured a bit of a rocky start to his time with the Celtics that has been plagued with different injuries, but it looks as though he is finally coming into his own. A sprained ankle in just his fifth game caused him to miss ten games of his rookie season, but he did manage to earn himself a spot on the NBA All-Rookie second team upon his return.

Over his three seasons in Boston so far, Smart has averaged 9.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game, with his best season being the most recent one where he averaged 10.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. Some are already comparing him to Dennis Johnson.

Smart is coming up to crunch time in his contract, so he needs to step up in the playoffs and next season for the Celtics if he wishes to stay with the team.

Jaylen Brown - 2016 Draft - 3rd Overall

Selected with the third overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft, Jaylen Brown has had a reasonable rookie season, averaging 6.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists after playing on average 17.2 minutes per game. 

Alongside Smart and with the number one overall pick to come later this year once the season has come to a close, the future could be very bright for Boston. Brown is not there yet, but he is putting in the effort that shows eventually he will be there.

Even LeBron James acknowledged that Brown was a good upcoming talent when the Celtics played the Cleveland Cavaliers back in November, saying after the game according to the Boston Globe: “I think he’s a really good talent, and that’s why he was drafted so high. He’s a strong kid. You can see he knows how to play the game. Boston definitely is enjoying all the picks that they’re getting from the Nets the last few years.”