Boston Celtics 1965-66 Roster and Statistics

Last Updated on September 20, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

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The Boston Celtics 1965–66 featured a well-balanced attack led by Sam Jones and John Havlicek as the primary scoring options, while Bill Russell dominated the boards and served as the team’s defensive anchor and key playmaker from the centre position. Supported by strong contributions from Tommy Heinsohn and Willie Naulls, Boston’s statistical profile reflected a deep, unselfish team that relied on rebounding, defense, and shared offensive production rather than one dominant scorer.

Roster

NO.	PLAYER NAME	POS	HT	WT	BIRTH DATE	COLLEGE
5	John Thompson	C	6-10	225	September 2, 1941	Providence
6	Bill Russell	C	6-10	215	February 12, 1934	San Francisco
11	Mel Counts	C	7-0	230	October 16, 1941	Oregon State
12	Willie Naulls	SF	6-6	225	October 7, 1934	UCLA
12	Ron Watts	F	6-6	210	May 21, 1943	Wake Forest
16	Tom Sanders	PF	6-6	210	November 8, 1938	NYU
17	John Havlicek	SF	6-5	203	April 8, 1940	Ohio State
18	Woody Sauldsberry	PF	6-7	220	July 11, 1934	Texas Southern
19	Don Nelson	SF	6-6	210	May 15, 1940	Iowa
20	Larry Siegfried	PG	6-3	190	May 22, 1939	Ohio State
21	Ron Bonham	SG	6-5	192	May 31, 1942	Cincinnati
24	Sam Jones	SG	6-4	198	June 24, 1933	NC Central
25	K.C. Jones	PG	6-1	200	May 25, 1932	San Francisco
28	Si Green	G-F	6-2	185	August 20, 1933	Duquesne

Regular Season Per Game

PLR	POS	AGE	G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	FGA	FGM	FG%	FTA	FTM	FT%
Sam Jones	SG	32	67	32.2	23.5	5.2	3.2	19.9	9.3	.469	6.1	4.9	.799
John Havlicek	SF	25	71	30.6	18.8	6.0	3.0	18.7	7.5	.399	4.9	3.9	.785
Larry Siegfried	PG	26	71	23.6	13.7	2.8	2.3	11.6	4.9	.423	4.4	3.9	.881
Bill Russell	C	31	78	43.4	12.9	22.8	4.8	12.1	5.0	.415	5.2	2.9	.551
Tom Sanders	PF	27	72	26.3	12.6	7.1	1.3	11.3	4.8	.428	3.8	2.9	.764
Willie Naulls	SF	31	71	20.2	10.7	4.5	1.0	11.5	4.6	.402	1.8	1.5	.794
Don Nelson	SF	25	75	23.5	10.2	5.4	1.1	8.2	3.6	.439	4.3	3.0	.684
K.C. Jones	PG	33	80	33.9	8.6	3.8	6.3	7.7	3.0	.388	3.8	2.6	.690
Mel Counts	C	24	67	15.2	8.4	6.4	0.7	8.2	3.3	.403	2.2	1.8	.828
Ron Bonham	SG	23	39	8.0	5.2	0.9	0.3	5.3	1.9	.367	1.6	1.3	.852
Woody Sauldsberry	PF	31	39	13.6	4.4	3.6	0.4	6.4	2.1	.321	0.6	0.3	.500
Si Green		32	10	9.2	3.2	1.1	0.9	3.1	1.2	.387	1.6	0.8	.500
John Thompson	C	24	10	7.2	3.2	3.0	0.3	3.0	1.4	.467	0.6	0.4	.667
Ron Watts		22	1	3.0	2.0	1.0	1.0	2.0	1.0	.500	0.0	0.0
Totals			80	240.3	112.7	69.9	22.4	104.6	43.6	.417	34.5	25.5	.739

Playoff Per Game

PLR	POS	AGE	G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	FGA	FGM	FG%	FTA	FTM	FT%
Sam Jones	SG	32	17	35.4	24.8	5.1	3.1	20.2	9.1	.449	8.0	6.7	.838
John Havlicek	SF	25	17	42.3	23.6	9.1	4.1	22.0	9.0	.409	6.6	5.6	.841
Bill Russell	C	31	17	47.9	19.1	25.2	5.0	15.4	7.3	.475	7.2	4.5	.618
Tom Sanders	PF	27	17	29.4	13.5	6.5	1.6	11.8	5.7	.483	2.8	2.1	.750
Larry Siegfried	PG	26	17	26.6	13.2	2.5	2.4	11.4	4.8	.420	4.4	3.6	.827
Don Nelson	SF	25	17	18.6	8.4	5.0	0.8	6.9	2.9	.424	3.1	2.5	.808
K.C. Jones	PG	33	17	31.9	7.6	3.1	4.4	6.4	2.6	.413	3.4	2.3	.684
Mel Counts	C	24	10	8.2	4.3	4.0	0.3	3.9	1.4	.359	1.7	1.5	.882
Ron Bonham	SG	23	5	3.2	3.4	0.6	0.0	2.2	1.4	.636	1.8	0.6	.333
Willie Naulls	SF	31	11	6.8	3.2	1.5	0.1	3.2	0.8	.257	1.9	1.5	.810
John Thompson	C	24	3	3.7	0.7	1.3	0.0	2.3	0.3	.143	0.0	0.0
Totals			17	242.9	115.8	67.8	21.6	99.5	43.2	.435	38.3	29.4	.767

Regular Season Per 36 Minutes

PLR	POS	AGE	G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	FGA	FGM	FG%	FTA	FTM	FT%
Sam Jones	SG	32	67	32.2	26.3	5.8	3.6	22.3	10.5	.469	6.8	5.4	.799
Ron Watts		22	1	3.0	24.0	12.0	12.0	24.0	12.0	.500	0.0	0.0
Ron Bonham	SG	23	39	8.0	23.5	4.0	1.3	23.9	8.8	.367	7.0	6.0	.852
John Havlicek	SF	25	71	30.6	22.1	7.0	3.5	22.0	8.8	.399	5.8	4.5	.785
Larry Siegfried	PG	26	71	23.6	20.9	4.2	3.5	17.7	7.5	.423	6.7	5.9	.881
Mel Counts	C	24	67	15.2	19.8	15.2	1.8	19.4	7.8	.403	5.1	4.2	.828
Willie Naulls	SF	31	71	20.2	19.1	8.0	1.8	20.5	8.2	.402	3.3	2.6	.794
Tom Sanders	PF	27	72	26.3	17.3	9.6	1.7	15.5	6.6	.428	5.2	4.0	.764
John Thompson	C	24	10	7.2	16.0	15.0	1.5	15.0	7.0	.467	3.0	2.0	.667
Don Nelson	SF	25	75	23.5	15.6	8.2	1.6	12.6	5.5	.439	6.6	4.5	.684
Si Green		32	10	9.2	12.5	4.3	3.5	12.1	4.7	.387	6.3	3.1	.500
Woody Sauldsberry	PF	31	39	13.6	11.6	9.6	1.0	16.9	5.4	.321	1.5	0.7	.500
Bill Russell	C	31	78	43.4	10.7	18.9	3.9	10.0	4.2	.415	4.3	2.4	.551
K.C. Jones	PG	33	80	33.9	9.2	4.0	6.7	8.2	3.2	.388	4.0	2.8	.690
Totals

Playoff Per 36 Minutes

PLR	POS	AGE	G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	FGA	FGM	FG%	FTA	FTM	FT%
Ron Bonham	SG	23	5	3.2	38.3	6.8	0.0	24.8	15.8	.636	20.3	6.8	.333
Sam Jones	SG	32	17	35.4	25.2	5.1	3.2	20.5	9.2	.449	8.1	6.8	.838
John Havlicek	SF	25	17	42.3	20.1	7.7	3.5	18.7	7.7	.409	5.7	4.8	.841
Mel Counts	C	24	10	8.2	18.9	17.6	1.3	17.1	6.1	.359	7.5	6.6	.882
Larry Siegfried	PG	26	17	26.6	17.8	3.3	3.3	15.4	6.5	.420	6.0	4.9	.827
Willie Naulls	SF	31	11	6.8	16.8	7.7	0.5	16.8	4.3	.257	10.1	8.2	.810
Tom Sanders	PF	27	17	29.4	16.6	7.9	1.9	14.5	7.0	.483	3.5	2.6	.750
Don Nelson	SF	25	17	18.6	16.2	9.7	1.5	13.4	5.7	.424	5.9	4.8	.808
Bill Russell	C	31	17	47.9	14.3	18.9	3.8	11.5	5.5	.475	5.4	3.4	.618
K.C. Jones	PG	33	17	31.9	8.6	3.4	5.0	7.2	3.0	.413	3.8	2.6	.684
John Thompson	C	24	3	3.7	6.5	13.1	0.0	22.9	3.3	.143	0.0	0.0
Totals			17

Regular Season Totals

PLR	POS	AGE	GP	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	FGA	FGM	FG%	FTA	FTM	FT%
Sam Jones	SG	32	67	2155	1577	347	216	1335	626	.469	407	325	.799
John Havlicek	SF	25	71	2175	1334	423	210	1328	530	.399	349	274	.785
Bill Russell	C	31	78	3386	1005	1779	371	943	391	.415	405	223	.551
Tom Sanders	PF	27	72	1896	909	508	90	816	349	.428	276	211	.764
Larry Siegfried	PG	26	71	1675	972	196	165	825	349	.423	311	274	.881
Don Nelson	SF	25	75	1765	765	403	79	618	271	.439	326	223	.684
Willie Naulls	SF	31	71	1433	760	319	72	815	328	.402	131	104	.794
K.C. Jones	PG	33	80	2710	689	304	503	619	240	.388	303	209	.690
Mel Counts	C	24	67	1021	562	432	50	549	221	.403	145	120	.828
Ron Bonham	SG	23	39	312	204	35	11	207	76	.367	61	52	.852
Woody Sauldsberry	PF	31	39	530	171	142	15	249	80	.321	22	11	.500
John Thompson	C	24	10	72	32	30	3	30	14	.467	6	4	.667
Si Green		32	10	92	32	11	9	31	12	.387	16	8	.500
Ron Watts		22	1	3	2	1	1	2	1	.500	0	0
Totals			80	19225	9014	4930	1795	8367	3488	.417	2758	2038	.739

Playoff Totals

PLR	POS	AGE	GP	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	FGA	FGM	FG%	FTA	FTM	FT%
Sam Jones	SG	32	17	602	422	86	53	343	154	.449	136	114	.838
John Havlicek	SF	25	17	719	401	154	70	374	153	.409	113	95	.841
Bill Russell	C	31	17	814	324	428	85	261	124	.475	123	76	.618
Tom Sanders	PF	27	17	500	230	110	27	201	97	.483	48	36	.750
Larry Siegfried	PG	26	17	452	224	42	41	193	81	.420	75	62	.827
Don Nelson	SF	25	17	316	142	85	13	118	50	.424	52	42	.808
K.C. Jones	PG	33	17	543	129	52	75	109	45	.413	57	39	.684
Mel Counts	C	24	10	82	43	40	3	39	14	.359	17	15	.882
Willie Naulls	SF	31	11	75	35	16	1	35	9	.257	21	17	.810
Ron Bonham	SG	23	5	16	17	3	0	11	7	.636	9	3	.333
John Thompson	C	24	3	11	2	4	0	7	1	.143	0	0
Totals			17	4130	1969	1020	368	1691	735	.435	651	499	.767

HeatingUp Impact Index: Team Impact Spotlight

Player Name	Role Tier	MPG	Usage Tier	PPG	RPG	APG	Impact Index*	Notes	Awards
Bill Russell	Defensive Anchor	43.4	Moderate	12.9	22.8	4.8	20.25	Anchored Celtics defense and rebounding; orchestrated fast breaks and transition offense; central to team’s 8th consecutive championship.	11× NBA Champion (1957, 1959–66, 1968–69), MVP‑4, All-Star
Sam Jones	Primary Scorer	32.2	High	23.5	5.2	3.2	15.95	Prolific scorer and clutch shooter; set franchise scoring marks; central to playoff success.	10× NBA Champion (1959–66, 1968–69), MVP‑5, All-Star
John Havlicek	Two-Way Wing	30.6	High	18.8	6.0	3.0	13.9	Versatile scorer and defender; known for stamina and clutch plays; key contributor to Celtics dynasty.	8× NBA Champion (1963–66, 1968–69, 1974, 1976), All-Star
K.C. Jones	Facilitator & Perimeter Defender	33.9	Moderate	8.6	3.8	6.3	9.35	Lead ball-handler and perimeter defender; facilitated offense and guided team rotation.	8× NBA Champion (1959–66)
Larry Siegfried	Facilitator/Scorer	23.6	Moderate	13.7	2.8	2.3	9.4	Secondary creator; efficient scorer off the bench; contributed assists in rotation.	5× NBA Champion (1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969)
Tom Sanders	Defensive Forward	26.3	Moderate	12.6	7.1	1.3	10.5	Defensive specialist; strong rebounder; key in frontcourt rotation.	8× NBA Champion (1961–66, 1968–69)
Don Nelson	Supporting Scorer	23.5	Moderate	10.2	5.4	1.1	8.35	Balanced scoring and rebounding; versatile forward; provided depth.	5× NBA Champion (1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976)
Willie Naulls	Role Forward	20.2	Low	10.7	4.5	1.0	8.1	Veteran forward; contributed scoring bursts and rotation depth.	3× NBA Champion (1964, 1965, 1966)
Mel Counts	Backup Big	15.2	Low	8.4	6.4	0.7	7.75	Bench center; added size, rebounding, and interior defense behind Russell.	NBA Champion (1966, 1968, 1969)
Woody Sauldsberry	Bench Big	13.6	Low	4.4	3.6	0.4	4.2	Spot minutes as forward/center; modest contributions.	NBA Champion (1966, 1968, 1969)
Ron Bonham	Reserve Wing	8.0	Low	5.2	0.9	0.3	3.2	Short bench stints; occasional scoring.	NBA Champion (1966, 1968, 1969)
Si Green	Reserve Wing	9.2	Very Low	3.2	1.1	0.9	2.6	Minimal minutes; few appearances.	NBA Champion (1966, 1968, 1969)
John Thompson	Backup Center	7.2	Very Low	3.2	3.0	0.3	3.25	Reserve center; limited court time.	NBA Champion (1966, 1968, 1969)
Ron Watts	Deep Bench	3.0	Very Low	2.0	1.0	1.0	2.0	Extremely limited minutes; marginal on-court impact.	NBA Champion (1966, 1968, 1969)