3 pass-first point guards the Boston Celtics must consider this summer

The Boston Celtics find themselves in the full swing of the 2022 NBA postseason, as they are currently battling it out in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, but this is not to say that we can’t get a head start on planning their potential endeavors for this upcoming summer.

While the ball club did end up finishing the season off as the No. 2 seed in their respective conference and with the second-best NET Rating in the entire league, there are still several areas within their rotation that should be addressed in the offseason, whether they wind up hoisting banner No. 18 into the rafters of TD Garden or not.

Recently, the folks at Bleacher Report delved into some of the team’s more concerning weaknesses and, ultimately, came to the conclusion that the C’s most glaring hole that must be filed prior to the start of next season is at the point guard position, particularly when it comes to their lack of pass-first talents.

Citing their incredible second-half stretch where they went 31-10 over their final 41 games played, writer, Grant Hughes, is of the belief that a major reason for their triumphant turnaround was their strong uptick and emphasis on ball movement, and the numbers only go on to back up this claim as Boston ranked seventh in assist percentage during this stretch, which was a massive improvement from their first half where they ranked just 23rd in this same category.

Hughes states that, in order for the shamrocks to sustain the high-end style of production that propelled their offense to the top of the NBA’s charts, they should strongly consider pursuing a pass-first distributor via free agency, and, to us at HH, we believe there are 3 players, in particular, that they should target:

Boston Celtics free-agent target No. 1) Facundo Campazzo

Facundo Campazzo proved himself to be a tremendous bright spot this season for an injury-ravaged Denver Nuggets backcourt.

Without the likes of franchise guard Jamal Murray, who was out the entirety of 2021-22 with a torn ACL, head coach Mike Malone looked to the Argentinean-born baller to take on a larger role within the team’s guard rotation and function as a quarterback-type of contributor for the team’s offense when on the floor.

With his uptick in usage, the 31-year-old went on to see an uptick in his per-game numbers seemingly all across the board.

Per 100 possessions, Campazzo saw averages of 13.8 points and 9.1 assists whilst also sporting an assist percentage of 24.1.

Not only would his offensive skill set be a nice add for the Boston Celtics, but his prowess on the less glamorous side of the ball would be a tremendous fit within the team’s top-ranked defensive unit.

At his specific age range, coupled with Murray’s impending return and the rise of Monte Morris within the rotation for the Nuggets, there’s a realistic chance that Facundo Campazzo could be heading out of Denver this summer and, considering the likelihood that he won’t be that expensive to sign, it could make him a viable option for Brad Stevens and co. to consider.