Last season, Payton Pritchard began the year as the Celtics starting point guard. In February, he was moved to the bench after Anfernee Simons was traded to give Boston’s second unit more punch in the scoring department.
He should be put back in the starting 5 this year.
There are reasons to do both, but the reason I would start him is that I think he is set up to be the Celtics number 2 offensive option.
Paul George and Derrick White are great players who can score the ball with high volume, but I don’t think either have the offensive ceiling, at this point in their careers, that Pritchard does.
I also think that maximizing the minutes that Tatum and Pritchard play together should be a priority for Joe Mazzulla.
Over the past three seasons, the Celtics have an offensive rating of 121.2 with just Tatum on the court and 122.2 with just Pritchard on the court. When those two guys share the floor, Boston’s offensive rating jumps to 125.
With Jaylen Brown gone, the opportunity is there for Pritchard to breakout next to Tatum. I think their partnership on the court could open up Payton’s game even more than it already has. Tatum is a better screener, passer and catch-and-shooter than Brown is and those three things make it easier for Pritchard to put up the big numbers next to J.T. that he didn’t with J.B.
This isn’t a slight at Brown, but Pritchard has just meshed better with Tatum throughout his career.
His isolation game is another reason why I think Pritchard is set to be the Celtics 2nd leading scorer this year.
His handle is so tight, leaving little room for teams to swipe the ball away and he is so quick, making it hard for defenders to stay in front of him. His pull-up and step-back jumpers are also so elite giving him really every option at his disposal to score the ball in isolation which makes him so hard to defend.
His usage percentage has never been above 22.7% and has never been above the 35th percentile in the NBA. Derrick White ran out of gas last year as the number 2 option and couldn’t hit a shot in the playoffs. I’d like to see Joe Mazzulla hand off some of that workload to Pritchard this year.
He is also an elite catch-and-shoot three-point shooter, as he shot 42% on catch-and-shoot threes last year. His catch-and-shoot ability is a part of why he has been so effective in sharing the floor with Tatum.
I’d like to see Payton’s passing take a leap this season though. He averaged a career high 5.2 assists per game last year and assisted on 23.3% of teammates baskets, also a career high, but both those numbers should grow this year. He is a solid passer, but that is the next part of his game that needs to improve, especially if he is going to be the starting point guard. Pritchard has been working a lot with Mike Conley recently, so Conley could help his playmaking take a leap.
One way Boston can increase Payton’s assists is by having him run pick-and-roll with both Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson. That should lead to lob opportunities and more assists for Pritchard.
Defense really isn’t something that comes to mind when talking about Pritchard. His size, or lack thereof, puts a limit as to how good he can really be on that side of the floor but he isn’t a disaster either. He shouldn’t prevent the Celtics from having an elite defense this year.
The Jalen Brunson comparisons are insane. Pritchard is never going to be as good as the Finals MVP from this year is. However, that doesn’t take away from how good he has become over these past few years and how his role, game and production should continue to grow this upcoming season.
The opportunity to have a career year is out there for Payton Pritchard, he just needs to take it.
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