Boston Celtics: Ranking each newcomer’s potential impact

#3. Boston Celtics PG Dennis Schroder

This may be a hot take considering the payday Dennis Schroder was in line for before chemistry issues with the Los Angeles Lakers took a serious toll on his value, but HH doesn’t see Schroder making the biggest impact of any newcomer…or even having the second biggest impact.

Marcus Smart appears to be the team’s answer at the 1 moving forward, and given Schroder’s ball-dominant tendencies, we can see him sitting on the pine more than the two men higher on this list.

#2. Boston Celtics PF/C Al Horford

After signing on for a max contract in the summer of 2016, Al Horford had three successful seasons in Boston before opting out of his deal and signing a new one with the Philadelphia 76ers that ex-GM Danny Ainge simply didn’t want to pay.

Brad Stevens clearly had no issue doing so on the backend of his deal, and now Horford returns with a chance to be the first big off the bench and a worthy front court complement to Robert Williams should Ime Udoka want to supersize his lineups.

#1. Boston Celtics SG/SF Josh Richardson

Josh Richardson has the most realistic chance of starting in 2021-22, and he already received a contract extension before he ever suited up once for the Cs.

That should bode well for his chances of seeing significant time on the floor this season. Should Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum go down for any stretches, Richardson would likely be called upon to provide tertiary scoring, and his age (28) makes it likely that Brad Stevens sees him as an integral part of a win-now team.