NCAA Basketball: 12 potential milestones to watch for 2021-22 season

Aaron Thompson – Butler

Milestone: 500 career assists

With 452 career assists during his 109 games with Butler, Aaron Thompson does not even appear on the NCAA all-time top 250 assists leaders. When the 6’2 guard from Glen Dale Maryland gets to 500 assists he will begin his incline from No. 64 all-time among Big East assist leaders. Thompson will also be hoping to make up for only playing in 14 of the Bulldogs’ 25 games last season and return to his spot as starting point guard.

There is a probability that the Bulldogs’ will not only contribute to Thompsons’ success but experience their own. They return their top six scorers, plus Myles Tate who will at some point during the 2021-22 season return from ACL surgery on his left knee. The familiarity Thompson will have with his teammates will create the perfect conditions for Thompson to surpass his season-best 142 assists he dished out as a sophomore.

Coach Lavall Jordan had the Bulldogs playing at the pace of 65 possessions per 40  minutes while scoring under 64 points per game, both statistical categories were the worst in the Big East. Any increase – even if incremental – will benefit Thompson and enable him to exceed his career-best average of 4.7 assists that he has achieved the past two seasons.

When Thompson reaches his 500 assists milestone- presumably early December – he will have a couple more non-conference games and the whole Big East schedule to work his way up to 581 to crack the top-25 in the Big East since 1985-86. A career-best 148 assists will allow him to crack the top-240 all-time,  but to achieve that, his teammates will have to assist.