10 Former Boston Celtics Greats Current Team Could Learn From

There is arguably a plethora of veteran talent the Boston Celtics boast with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, yet still there is much to learn and plenty of areas in which these Celtics can improve.

Perhaps the Big Three and the C's could take notes from some of the greats to play in Beantown?

What fans of the league have to remember about these current Celtics is that, despite four straight seasons of being one of the top contenders in the NBA, the team has just one NBA title to show for it.

Although there were various injuries in several of the team's playoff runs, there is no question these Celtics can do more and have room to grow as a ball club.

These are the 10 Celtics legends the current Boston Celtics team could learn a thing or two from in order to improve their play going forward.

Bill Sharman

Bill Sharman put up decent numbers throughout his career with the Celtics in the 1950s and early 1960s, yet more so than anything, he could shoot the lights out of the ball from the free-throw line.

Currently the best free-throw shooter in team history, Sharman has hit a whopping 91 percent of his free-throws in the playoffs and nearly 89 percent of them during the regular season.

Last season, ranked at No. 11 in the league, the team made just 77 percent of its free-throws. Yet what's worse is that during the postseason, this was a team that got to the line just 20 times per game. This was a mark that was the second-worst of any team in the postseason.

The Celtics not only need to hit more free throws (ahem...Rajon Rondo), but also need to get to the line more when it counts.

Bob Cousy

Hall-of-Fame point guard Bob Cousy is arguably the best point guard in the history of the Boston Celtics.

Make no mistake about it.

What made Cousy such a unique, special point guard that would in turn change the position as we know it, was the fact that he could both pass and score the basketball with impressive efficiency. His elusiveness with the basketball is a talent that can be seen with some of the best point guards in today's game.

Current starting point guard for the Celtics, Rajon Rondo, can learn plenty from the great Cousy. As talented and special a passer Rondo is, his lack of consistency scoring the basketball has hurt him overall as a player. Perhaps some extra time working on jump shots and free-throws,  would help a player like Rondo develop his game as a whole.

It is arguable that his ability to set up teammates in the half court set is unmatched by any point guard in the league, yet is inability to consistently score the basketball is what ultimately has fans and analyst doubting his worth as an elite point guard in the NBA.

Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish

When learning from three-time NBA champions Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, these Boston Celtics can understand that championships take an extra level of dedication.

Since winning the 2008 NBA championship, this Boston Celtics squad has seemed to lack that extra bit of commitment that it takes to win a championship.

Despite being the No. 1 defense in the NBA last season, the Celtics failed to produce consistently on offense. Against the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Playoffs, the C's did no boast enough offense to get it done when there was no doubt that the talent was there on both ends of the floor.

There was an extra gear that these three would kick into that these Celtics will need to find if the expect to win another NBA championship before the end of the Big Three era.

Dennis Johnson

Unlike current starting point guard Rajon Rondo, Dennis Johnson was a guy the team could count on in the 80's to be a lock-down defender. Rondo has been a terrific defender throughout his career, yet his issue has been sustaining a certain level of consistency for 48 minutes.

Rondo puts up the numbers, yet when a player like Johnson was on the court, there was also an evident different in the numbers other point guards put up. Rondo doesn't necessarily slow down some of the better point guards in the game like a Derrick Rose or Chris Paul.

Paul averaged 12 points and 13 assists in two games against the Celtics last season, while Rose averaged 25.8 points and 6.8 assists per game against the team in four games. Not to mention the last two stat lines, Rose featured two 30-point games.

Dave Cowens and John Havlicek

John Havlicek and Dave Cowens are not only two Hall-of-Fame greats, but also make arguably the most dynamic duo of players in Boston Celtics history.

In the 1970s, the two helped the Celtics to win two NBA championships, taking home titles in both 1974 and 1976. The ability of these two high-profile scorers was unmatched by most duos in the league, scoring 41.6 points per game between the two in the 1974 championship season.

The two were also solid rebounders as well, averaging just over a combined 21 rebounds per game in that first championship season.

The cohesiveness and will to work together on the offensive end is something these Big Three can take note of. Granted, these Big Three do play together and are unselfish with another, there are certainly still moments in which "hero shots" (as head coach Doc Rivers refers to them) are taken unnecessarily.

Bill Russell and Tom Heinsohn

Disregarding the impressive run of 11 championships in 13 seasons in the NBA, the great Bill Russell and Tom Heinsohn did one thing that these Celtics fail to do on a consistent basis: rebound the basketball.

For his career, Russell averaged a whopping 22.5 rebounds per contest. To make the numbers all the more impressive, his average would go up to 24.9 during the playoffs. Heinsohn was also able to make defenses pay with his talent on the boards. He put up an average of 8.8 rebounds for his career while topping an average of 10 rebounds per game in a season twice.

Although these Celtics boast the No. 1 defense in the NBA, there is a definite lack of commitment to cleaning up the glass. Kevin Garnett looks to be out there alone time and time again when it comes to rebounding the basketball.