Boston Celtics: 4 players who could lead Cs in assists in 2021-22

Boston Celtics player No. 1) Al Horford

Though point guard is traditionally the position that dominates the passing department, as the game has transitioned more to positionless basketball over the years we’ve begun to see other players at different areas on the depth chart excel in this field.

Though the likes of Nikola Jokic and Draymond Green have taken over as being considered some of the top non-guard passers in the association, re-acquired center, Al Horford, was once viewed in a similar vein, and his production last season proves that he still should be highly regarded as a quality distributor.

Some may forget, as it was a few years back, but during his first stint with the Boston Celtics the veteran big posted averages of 4.6 assists per game during his three-year tenure while seeing as many as five assists dropped per night back in 2016-17 (was second-best on the team then and would have been second best last season).

In 2020-21, whilst suiting up with the OKC Thunder, Horford finished off with averages of 3.4 assists per game, ranking him fourth on the team.

If he could find this amount of success in the assists department with a team like Oklahoma City (aside from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander there was really no reliable offensive talents on the roster), just imagine how many of his passes could convert into scoring plays when running alongside scoring studs like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Boston Celtics player No. 2) Dennis Schroder

Arguably the biggest steal of an acquisition from the 2021 NBA offseason, Dennis Schroder comes to the Boston Celtics looking for redemption.

After declining an $80 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers last season, betting on himself that he could earn more on the open market, the eighth-year veteran failed to receive anywhere close to this number in free agency and ultimately signed with the Cs on a one-year, $5.9 million deal.

While many have made jokes at Schroder’s expense about his failed attempt to cash out this summer, it mustn’t be forgotten that he is still a quality guard in this league and, opposite to popular belief, actually played solid ball during his time in LA — just not well enough to secure his desired payday.

A multi-talented player who has proven capable of both scoring at will and properly running an offense throughout his career, since regularly being utilized as an integral part of an NBA rotation back in 2016, the 27-year-old is one of just 16 players to log 6,000 points and 1,500 assists during this five-year span.

Though perhaps more known more for his scoring abilities (has averaged 17.4 points over the last five seasons), Schroder has shown that he is more than capable of sharing the rock, even seeing per-game averages as high as 6.3 assists during his first season as a full-time starter at the one.

Should he nab the starting point guard role in this upcoming season, a highly motivated Dennis Schroder could be more inclined than he has in years past to show off his distribution skills to prove he can help complement his stars and have them find easier scoring opportunities, which is a quality front offices love to have on their roster.