Boston Celtics: Payton Pritchard already making an impact

While the Boston Celtics have lost their last two games, fans should be encouraged by the play of Payton Pritchard. He is making his presence felt rather quickly.

So far this season hasn’t been the best for the Boston Celtics. They are 1-2 after losing to the Indiana Pacers. One of the few bright spots headed into 2021 has been the play of Payton Pritchard.

Pritchard has continued to be great off the bench for Boston. He is averaging over seven points a game so far and has done everything the Celtics have asked of him.

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Against the Pacers, Pritchard had his first double-digit scoring performances of his career. He had a perfect shooting night while scoring 13 points.

The Celtics drafted Pritchard for his shooting ability. He can come off the bench and instantly start lighting things up. That’s something that the team has missed in recent years. Some are even willing to resort to signing Isaiah Thomas (no thanks).

The question is will Boston continue to use Pritchard this much when Kemba Walker returns and will Pritchard continue to play this well?

Pritchard spent four years at Oregon. He seems like he is adequately prepared for the NBA and that had to be one of the reasons he was selected by Boston.

But when Walker is healthy will Pritchard still be able to play this much? That would leave the Celtics with quite the time crunch when it comes to their second unit.

A veteran player like Semi Ojeleye or maybe even Robert Williams would likely see their playing time reduced. While on defense the team would take a hit, the offensive skills would be worth the risk.

Even though Brad Stevens hasn’t been the best with giving rookies adequate playing time, he needs to play Pritchard. While he can be a player who can catch fire instantly, it’s hard not to have rust if you are barely playing. Even when Walker returns, Pritchard needs to get his minutes and his shots up.

So Boston Celtics fans shouldn’t panic about the team’s start to the season. They have played some difficult teams and Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have shown that they are still great players.

Also if Pritchard continues to play like he has Boston will be just fine and the guard could be one of the steals of the 2020 NBA Draft. Who said Danny Ainge isn’t good at drafting?