There are some givens for next year’s Celtics starting lineup: Jayson Tatum and Derrick White will be part of the opening five and you can pretty much pencil in Paul George at the 3. Joe Mazzulla has options at center. Neemias Queta was a revelation last year and signed a four-year extension to keep in Boston long term, but he’ll compete with the newly signed Mitchell Robinson for playing time.
Heading into training camp, that fifth starter is the bigger mystery. Last year, it was Sam Hauser as the fifth Beatle. Before Tatum’s return, Baylor Scheierman got some run as a point forward with Payton Pritchard moving to the bench after Anfernee Simons was dealt to Chicago for Nikola Vucevic.
So, will Pritchard regain his starting spot or remain the team’s super sixth man?
Here’s reader SpiritofEspiritu on the Pritchard debate:
I voted a shaky ‘no’
Fast PP is a very good starting guard (and I would be certainly support his start of this was the decision). Though in my opinion, I think he is elite when subbing in because (1) he is just far superior off an all rounded player against opposing bench guards, (2) the flow/energy of the game stays positive if the starters are playing well or recalibrates positively when he enters off the start is more flat, and (3) it is possible for him to end all four quarters in rhythm where his play at times has been magical.
I think he recognizes this as well since he repeatedly has shared that he is okay in any role as long as he plays.
Another factor I think is George, Tatum, and Big Country Robinson unlikely playing back to backs (B2B) is what I am guessing (Tatum/George offset the B2B or play together in one and sit together in the other, and we will probably go much smaller when Robinson sits). As a result, I can see Pritchard get starts sprinkled in throughout the season.
Starting or coming off the bench, we can all agree that Pritchard will be a big part of Boston’s success next year and our friends at FanDuel still have the Celtics (+1500) with the fifth highest odds to win a championship behind the Thunder (+230), Spurs (+280), Knicks (+950), and Sixers (+1000).
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