Last Updated on July 30, 2026 by Mat Diekhake
League Search Page > NBA > Boston Celtics > Roster & Statistics
The Boston Celtics 1964–65 were powered by a balanced veteran lineup, with Sam Jones and John Havlicek providing the bulk of the scoring while Bill Russell controlled the boards and anchored the defense. Tommy Heinsohn added reliable frontcourt production, and Russell’s playmaking further highlighted Boston’s unselfish style. The statistics reflect a team built on elite rebounding, defensive strength, and shared offensive responsibility rather than high-volume individual scoring.
Roster
| No. | Player | Pos | Height | Weight | Age | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Bill Russell | C | 6’10” | 215 lbs | 30 | San Francisco |
| 17 | John Havlicek | G/F | 6’5″ | 203 lbs | 24 | Ohio State |
| 24 | Sam Jones | G | 6’4″ | 198 lbs | 31 | North Carolina Central |
| 25 | K.C. Jones | G | 6’1″ | 200 lbs | 32 | San Francisco |
| 16 | Tom Sanders | F | 6’6″ | 210 lbs | 26 | NYU |
| 18 | Jim Loscutoff | F | 6’5″ | 220 lbs | 34 | San Francisco |
| 15 | Willie Naulls | F | 6’6″ | 225 lbs | 30 | UCLA |
| 19 | Mel Counts | C | 7’0″ | 230 lbs | 23 | Oregon State |
| 14 | Larry Siegfried | G | 6’3″ | 190 lbs | 25 | Ohio State |
| 12 | John Thompson | C | 6’10” | 225 lbs | 23 | Providence |
| — | Ron Bonham | F | 6’5″ | 200 lbs | 22 | Cincinnati |
Regular Season Per Game
| PLR | POS | AGE | G | GS | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TPG | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3PA | 3PM | 3P% | FTA | FTM | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Jones | SG | 31 | 80 | 36.1 | 25.9 | 5.1 | 2.8 | 22.7 | 10.3 | .452 | 6.5 | 5.4 | .820 | |||||||
| John Havlicek | SG | 24 | 75 | 28.9 | 18.3 | 4.9 | 2.7 | 18.9 | 7.6 | .401 | 4.2 | 3.1 | .744 | |||||||
| Bill Russell | C | 30 | 78 | 44.4 | 14.1 | 24.1 | 5.3 | 12.6 | 5.5 | .438 | 5.5 | 3.1 | .573 | |||||||
| Tom Heinsohn | SF | 30 | 67 | 25.5 | 13.6 | 6.0 | 2.3 | 14.2 | 5.4 | .383 | 3.4 | 2.7 | .795 | |||||||
| Tom Sanders | PF | 26 | 80 | 30.7 | 11.8 | 8.3 | 1.2 | 10.9 | 4.7 | .429 | 3.2 | 2.4 | .745 | |||||||
| Willie Naulls | SF | 30 | 71 | 20.6 | 10.5 | 4.7 | 1.0 | 11.1 | 4.3 | .384 | 2.5 | 2.0 | .813 | |||||||
| K.C. Jones | PG | 32 | 78 | 31.2 | 8.3 | 4.1 | 5.6 | 8.2 | 3.2 | .396 | 2.9 | 1.8 | .630 | |||||||
| Ron Bonham | SF | 22 | 37 | 10.0 | 7.4 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 5.9 | 2.5 | .414 | 3.0 | 2.5 | .821 | |||||||
| Larry Siegfried | SG | 25 | 72 | 13.8 | 6.3 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 5.8 | 2.4 | .415 | 1.9 | 1.5 | .779 | |||||||
| Mel Counts | C | 23 | 54 | 10.6 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 0.4 | 5.0 | 1.9 | .368 | 1.4 | 1.1 | .784 | |||||||
| John Thompson | PF | 23 | 64 | 10.9 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 0.3 | 3.3 | 1.3 | .402 | 1.6 | 1.0 | .590 | |||||||
| Bevo Nordmann | C | 25 | 3 | 8.3 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 1.0 | .600 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||||||||
| Gerry Ward | SG | 23 | 3 | 10.0 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 6.0 | 0.7 | .111 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.000 | |||||||
| Totals | 80 | 240.9 | 112.8 | 71.9 | 22.2 | 107.6 | 44.6 | .414 | 32.3 | 23.6 | .731 |
Playoff Per Game
| PLR | POS | AGE | G | GS | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TPG | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3PA | 3PM | 3P% | FTA | FTM | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Jones | SG | 31 | 12 | 41.3 | 28.6 | 4.6 | 2.5 | 24.5 | 11.3 | .459 | 7.0 | 6.1 | .869 | |||||||
| John Havlicek | SG | 24 | 12 | 33.8 | 18.5 | 7.3 | 2.4 | 20.8 | 7.3 | .352 | 4.6 | 3.8 | .836 | |||||||
| Bill Russell | C | 30 | 12 | 46.8 | 16.5 | 25.2 | 6.3 | 12.5 | 6.6 | .527 | 6.3 | 3.3 | .526 | |||||||
| Tom Sanders | PF | 26 | 12 | 30.4 | 13.3 | 8.5 | 1.6 | 12.7 | 5.3 | .421 | 3.6 | 2.6 | .721 | |||||||
| Tom Heinsohn | SF | 30 | 12 | 23.0 | 12.7 | 7.0 | 1.9 | 15.1 | 5.5 | .365 | 2.7 | 1.7 | .625 | |||||||
| K.C. Jones | PG | 32 | 12 | 33.0 | 10.1 | 3.3 | 6.2 | 8.7 | 3.6 | .413 | 3.8 | 2.9 | .778 | |||||||
| Willie Naulls | SF | 30 | 12 | 15.0 | 7.3 | 4.3 | 0.8 | 7.9 | 3.3 | .411 | 1.3 | 0.8 | .667 | |||||||
| Larry Siegfried | SG | 25 | 12 | 13.6 | 7.0 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 6.6 | 2.5 | .380 | 2.3 | 2.0 | .857 | |||||||
| John Thompson | PF | 23 | 3 | 7.0 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 0.7 | .286 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 1.000 | |||||||
| Ron Bonham | SF | 22 | 4 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 1.3 | .417 | 1.3 | 1.0 | .800 | |||||||
| Mel Counts | C | 23 | 4 | 7.5 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 3.8 | 1.0 | .267 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.000 | |||||||
| Totals | 12 | 242.1 | 116.8 | 72.3 | 23.6 | 111.6 | 46.3 | .414 | 32.6 | 24.3 | .744 |
Regular Season Per 36 Minutes
| PLR | POS | AGE | G | GS | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TPG | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3PA | 3PM | 3P% | FTA | FTM | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ron Bonham | SF | 22 | 37 | 10.0 | 26.7 | 7.6 | 1.9 | 21.5 | 8.9 | .414 | 10.9 | 9.0 | .821 | |||||||
| Sam Jones | SG | 31 | 80 | 36.1 | 25.8 | 5.1 | 2.8 | 22.7 | 10.2 | .452 | 6.5 | 5.3 | .820 | |||||||
| John Havlicek | SG | 24 | 75 | 28.9 | 22.8 | 6.2 | 3.3 | 23.6 | 9.5 | .401 | 5.2 | 3.9 | .744 | |||||||
| Tom Heinsohn | SF | 30 | 67 | 25.5 | 19.2 | 8.4 | 3.3 | 20.1 | 7.7 | .383 | 4.8 | 3.8 | .795 | |||||||
| Willie Naulls | SF | 30 | 71 | 20.6 | 18.4 | 8.3 | 1.8 | 19.3 | 7.4 | .384 | 4.3 | 3.5 | .813 | |||||||
| Larry Siegfried | SG | 25 | 72 | 13.8 | 16.4 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 15.1 | 6.3 | .415 | 5.1 | 3.9 | .779 | |||||||
| Mel Counts | C | 23 | 54 | 10.6 | 16.2 | 16.7 | 1.2 | 17.1 | 6.3 | .368 | 4.7 | 3.7 | .784 | |||||||
| Tom Sanders | PF | 26 | 80 | 30.7 | 13.8 | 9.7 | 1.3 | 12.8 | 5.5 | .429 | 3.8 | 2.8 | .745 | |||||||
| John Thompson | PF | 23 | 64 | 10.9 | 11.8 | 11.8 | 0.8 | 10.8 | 4.3 | .402 | 5.4 | 3.2 | .590 | |||||||
| Bill Russell | C | 30 | 78 | 44.4 | 11.4 | 19.5 | 4.3 | 10.2 | 4.5 | .438 | 4.4 | 2.5 | .573 | |||||||
| K.C. Jones | PG | 32 | 78 | 31.2 | 9.6 | 4.7 | 6.5 | 9.5 | 3.7 | .396 | 3.4 | 2.1 | .630 | |||||||
| Bevo Nordmann | C | 25 | 3 | 8.3 | 8.6 | 11.5 | 4.3 | 7.2 | 4.3 | .600 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||||||||
| Gerry Ward | SG | 23 | 3 | 10.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 7.2 | 21.6 | 2.4 | .111 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.000 | |||||||
| Totals |
Playoff Per 36 Minutes
| PLR | POS | AGE | G | GS | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TPG | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3PA | 3PM | 3P% | FTA | FTM | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ron Bonham | SF | 22 | 4 | 3.3 | 38.8 | 2.8 | 0.0 | 33.2 | 13.8 | .417 | 13.8 | 11.1 | .800 | |||||||
| Sam Jones | SG | 31 | 12 | 41.3 | 24.9 | 4.0 | 2.2 | 21.4 | 9.8 | .459 | 6.1 | 5.3 | .869 | |||||||
| Tom Heinsohn | SF | 30 | 12 | 23.0 | 19.8 | 11.0 | 3.0 | 23.6 | 8.6 | .365 | 4.2 | 2.6 | .625 | |||||||
| John Havlicek | SG | 24 | 12 | 33.8 | 19.7 | 7.8 | 2.6 | 22.2 | 7.8 | .352 | 4.9 | 4.1 | .836 | |||||||
| John Thompson | PF | 23 | 3 | 7.0 | 18.9 | 20.6 | 1.7 | 12.0 | 3.4 | .286 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 1.000 | |||||||
| Larry Siegfried | SG | 25 | 12 | 13.6 | 18.6 | 5.5 | 4.6 | 17.4 | 6.6 | .380 | 6.2 | 5.3 | .857 | |||||||
| Willie Naulls | SF | 30 | 12 | 15.0 | 17.6 | 10.2 | 1.8 | 19.0 | 7.8 | .411 | 3.0 | 2.0 | .667 | |||||||
| Tom Sanders | PF | 26 | 12 | 30.4 | 15.7 | 10.1 | 1.9 | 15.0 | 6.3 | .421 | 4.2 | 3.1 | .721 | |||||||
| Bill Russell | C | 30 | 12 | 46.8 | 12.7 | 19.4 | 4.9 | 9.6 | 5.1 | .527 | 4.9 | 2.6 | .526 | |||||||
| K.C. Jones | PG | 32 | 12 | 33.0 | 11.0 | 3.5 | 6.7 | 9.5 | 3.9 | .413 | 4.1 | 3.2 | .778 | |||||||
| Mel Counts | C | 23 | 4 | 7.5 | 10.8 | 13.2 | 1.2 | 18.0 | 4.8 | .267 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.000 | |||||||
| Totals |
Regular Season Totals
| PLR | POS | AGE | GP | GS | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3PA | 3PM | 3P% | FTA | FTM | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Jones | SG | 31 | 80 | 2885 | 2070 | 411 | 223 | 1818 | 821 | .452 | 522 | 428 | .820 | |||||||
| John Havlicek | SG | 24 | 75 | 2169 | 1375 | 371 | 199 | 1420 | 570 | .401 | 316 | 235 | .744 | |||||||
| Bill Russell | C | 30 | 78 | 3466 | 1102 | 1878 | 410 | 980 | 429 | .438 | 426 | 244 | .573 | |||||||
| Tom Sanders | PF | 26 | 80 | 2459 | 941 | 661 | 92 | 871 | 374 | .429 | 259 | 193 | .745 | |||||||
| Tom Heinsohn | SF | 30 | 67 | 1706 | 912 | 399 | 157 | 954 | 365 | .383 | 229 | 182 | .795 | |||||||
| Willie Naulls | SF | 30 | 71 | 1465 | 747 | 336 | 72 | 786 | 302 | .384 | 176 | 143 | .813 | |||||||
| K.C. Jones | PG | 32 | 78 | 2434 | 649 | 318 | 437 | 639 | 253 | .396 | 227 | 143 | .630 | |||||||
| Larry Siegfried | SG | 25 | 72 | 996 | 455 | 134 | 119 | 417 | 173 | .415 | 140 | 109 | .779 | |||||||
| Ron Bonham | SF | 22 | 37 | 369 | 274 | 78 | 19 | 220 | 91 | .414 | 112 | 92 | .821 | |||||||
| Mel Counts | C | 23 | 54 | 572 | 258 | 265 | 19 | 272 | 100 | .368 | 74 | 58 | .784 | |||||||
| John Thompson | PF | 23 | 64 | 699 | 230 | 230 | 16 | 209 | 84 | .402 | 105 | 62 | .590 | |||||||
| Bevo Nordmann | C | 25 | 3 | 25 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 3 | .600 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Gerry Ward | SG | 23 | 3 | 30 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 18 | 2 | .111 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | |||||||
| Totals | 80 | 19275 | 9024 | 5094 | 1772 | 8609 | 3567 | .414 | 2587 | 1890 | .731 |
Playoff Totals
| PLR | POS | AGE | GP | GS | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | FGA | FGM | FG% | 3PA | 3PM | 3P% | FTA | FTM | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Jones | 31 | 12 | 495 | 343 | 55 | 30 | 294 | 135 | .459 | 84 | 73 | .869 | ||||||||
| John Havlicek | 24 | 12 | 405 | 222 | 88 | 29 | 250 | 88 | .352 | 55 | 46 | .836 | ||||||||
| Bill Russell | 30 | 12 | 561 | 198 | 302 | 76 | 150 | 79 | .527 | 76 | 40 | .526 | ||||||||
| Tom Sanders | 26 | 12 | 365 | 159 | 102 | 19 | 152 | 64 | .421 | 43 | 31 | .721 | ||||||||
| Tom Heinsohn | 30 | 12 | 276 | 152 | 84 | 23 | 181 | 66 | .365 | 32 | 20 | .625 | ||||||||
| K.C. Jones | 32 | 12 | 396 | 121 | 39 | 74 | 104 | 43 | .413 | 45 | 35 | .778 | ||||||||
| Willie Naulls | 30 | 12 | 180 | 88 | 51 | 9 | 95 | 39 | .411 | 15 | 10 | .667 | ||||||||
| Larry Siegfried | 25 | 12 | 163 | 84 | 25 | 21 | 79 | 30 | .380 | 28 | 24 | .857 | ||||||||
| Ron Bonham | 22 | 4 | 13 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 5 | .417 | 5 | 4 | .800 | ||||||||
| John Thompson | 23 | 3 | 21 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 2 | .286 | 7 | 7 | 1.000 | ||||||||
| Mel Counts | 23 | 4 | 30 | 9 | 11 | 1 | 15 | 4 | .267 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | ||||||||
| Totals | 12 | 2905 | 1401 | 770 | 283 | 1339 | 555 | .414 | 391 | 291 | .744 |
HeatingUp Impact Index: Team Impact Spotlight
| Player Name | Role Tier | MPG | Usage Tier | PPG | RPG | APG | STK (SPG + BPG) | Impact Index* | Notes | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Jones | Primary Scorer / Offensive Anchor | 36.1 | High Usage | 25.9 | 5.1 | 2.8 | 21.9 | Led team in scoring; one of the focal offensive options and clutch performers; Celtics title contributor. Sam was also All-NBA Second Team this season. | All-NBA Second Team; All-Star | |
| Bill Russell | Defensive Anchor / Team Leader | 44.4 | Medium Usage | 14.1 | 24.1 | 5.3 | 21.7 | League MVP; rebounding dominant; defensive foundation of dynasty; held Wilt Chamberlain in check in playoffs. | MVP; All-NBA First Team; All-Star | |
| John Havlicek | Two-Way Impact Wing | 28.9 | Medium Usage | 18.3 | 4.9 | 2.7 | 14.2 | Top secondary scorer; famous “Havlicek steal” moment in playoffs; growing into all-around contributor. | — | |
| Tom Heinsohn | Scoring Forward / Secondary Option | 25.5 | Medium Usage | 13.6 | 6.0 | 2.3 | 11.1 | Versatile forward with inside and midrange scoring; veteran presence following several championships. | All-Star | |
| Tom Sanders | Defensive Forward / Rebounder | 30.7 | Medium Usage | 11.8 | 8.3 | 1.2 | 10.7 | Key rebounder and role defender; strong supporting starter for the Celtics. | — | |
| Willie Naulls | Supporting Forward | 20.6 | Low Usage | 10.5 | 4.7 | 1.0 | 8.1 | Added scoring and size; part of the first documented all-Black NBA starting lineup around midseason. | — | |
| K.C. Jones | Defensive PG / Facilitator | 31.2 | Low Usage | 8.3 | 4.1 | 5.6 | 9.0 | Primary perimeter defender; facilitated offense with assists; not a major scoring option but key in ball movement. | — | |
| Ron Bonham | Role Scorer | 10.0 | Low Usage | 7.4 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 4.5 | Young bench contributor and Rookie of the Year vote-getter; showed scoring upside in limited minutes. | ROY-4 | |
| Larry Siegfried | Bench SG | 13.8 | Very Low Usage | 6.3 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 4.9 | Spot scoring and perimeter ball-handling; limited role. | — | |
| Mel Counts | Bench Big | 10.6 | Very Low Usage | 4.8 | 4.9 | 0.4 | 5.5 | Provided size and rebounding potential in limited action. | — | |
| John Thompson | Developmental Big | 10.9 | Very Low Usage | 3.6 | 3.6 | 0.3 | 3.8 | Limited minutes; developmental role as forward/center. | — | |
| Bevo Nordmann | Fringe Roster | 8.3 | Very Low Usage | 2.0 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 3.3 | Brief appearance; minimal impact due to few games. | — | |
| Gerry Ward | Fringe Roster | 10.0 | Very Low Usage | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 3.7 | Very limited sample; situational minutes only. | — |
