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

Boston Celtics free-agent target No. 3) Ricky Rubio

The player that seemingly everyone wants to see the Boston Celtics pursue this summer, Ricky Rubio is without a doubt the perfect target that fits the bill of a pass-first option to have within this backcourt rotation.

Before Rajon Rondo was added to the Cavaliers roster to help bolster their guard depth, it was Rubio who, during his time spent subbing in for the injured Collin Sexton, paved the way toward tremendous play for Cleveland.

Having one of the most productive seasons of his 11-year career, the Spaniard put up 13.1 points, 6.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game on 34 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

During his career, Rubio has managed to establish himself as one of the league’s premier facilitators, finishing among the top 10 percent (for point guards) in regard to assist percentage on five separate occasions and, prior to going down with an ACL tear in late December, ranked in the 97th percentile in said category.

Considering the fact that the C’s won’t have much wiggle room to work with in the salary cap department, they may need to get creative and, frankly, a bit daring when it comes to their offseason pursuits and, being that Rubio is coming off of an injury-shortened season and will be 32 by the time 2022-23 rolls around, he could prove to be a realistic MLE target with tremendous upside for Brad Stevens’ squad.