BOSTON — Gerald Wallace is dropping dimes at close to the highest rate of his career, which isn’t saying a whole lot. Wallace has never averaged more than 3.5 assists per game or topped a 16-percent assist rate in any season. He’s not exactly John Stockton.
But after Wallace dished out nine assists in the Boston Celtics’ 99-89 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday, Jared Sullinger offered high praise for his newly pass-happy teammate.
“That’s just [Rajon] Rondo with dreds, that’s all,” Sullinger said. “That’s how Gerald’s been playing all year. He’s always being the dirty guy, doing the dirty work, and he did that [Friday].”
Wallace came close to a triple-double with eight points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in the victory, but it was those nine helpers that had Sullinger buzzing after the game. Friday marked the fifth time this season Wallace has recorded at least five assists in a game, hitting nine twice. He’s far from Rondo-ian, but his 2.5 assists per game and his 15.1 assist percentage are marked improvements over recent years.
As for Rondo, the two-time league assist champ has a career assist percentage of 40.9 percent and has averaged more than 11 assists per game over the last three seasons. So, with all due respect to Sullinger, Wallace still has his work cut out for him if he wants to match Rondo in the playmaking category.
