On Monday, July 6th, the Boston Celtics Jaylen Brown trade became official, sending him to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, 2 first-round picks, and two second-round picks. With this trade now official, one name who should see an increase in their role is guard Payton Pritchard.
Last season saw Pritchard play his biggest role yet in Boston, being a consistent starter for most of the season. Once Jayson Tatum came back, Pritchard went back into the sixth-man role that he held the prior season. He finished the season playing in 79 of the 82 games, with 50 starts.
Though Tatum will be back to begin the season, with Brown now traded, Pritchard should be in line to be a starter for the Celtics yet again.
Payton Pritchard could see career season in bigger role
During last season, Pritchard hit career highs in the main three stat categories, averaging 17 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.2 assists. The Oregon native also saw the most amount of time on the court, with an average of 32.4 minutes per game. Though he wasn't as efficient as in years past, he didn't shoot that poorly.
When next season begins, it wouldn't be surprising to see Pritchard back in the starting lineup. Having him back in the starting five gives you another scoring threat alongside Jayson Tatum and Paul George. Ideally, Pritchard being a starter would also help Derrick White improve his offense after having a down year.
One reason as to why Boston may want to keep Pritchard as the sixth man is that the bench would have a question mark about who could consistently score.
Celtics would need to replace Payton Pritchard's bench production
If Pritchard were to start, Boston would need to find a reliable bench scorer. While Sam Hauser would go back to the bench, his game isn't one of creating for others and works better when he is surrounded by players who are comfortable running the offense.
The two players who would fit this the best are Baylor Scheierman and Hugo Gonzalez. Throughout last season, each player had moments where they were given the ball and looked to create for others. Both players have shown glimpses of this, but haven't consistently shown they can be successful.
This is why Boston could consider Pritchard as the sixth man. You let someone who works better surrounded by players who'll control the ball, and have the 28-year-old come in off the bench and be the main initiator.
Ultimately, Boston should let Pritchard start, as ideally, you'd space out his minutes with White, George, and Tatum, ensuring two of them are always on the court. Those four will be the main creators on offense, with other younger guys getting chances throughout the season to be secondary ball-handlers.
While only time will tell what the Celtics' plans are for the starting lineup, Pritchard should be ready for his biggest role yet in his NBA career.
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