Payton Pritchard is eligible to sign an extension worth roughly three years for $67 million on October 1, and the Boston Celtics need to do whatever it takes to lock him up. Otherwise, his price is only going to skyrocket from here on out, and he might play himself out of their range.
Whether he's in line for a full-time starting role for the second time in his career (*first time? He started 50 of his 79 games last season, but that was always expected to be a temporary move until Jayson Tatum returned and Anfernee Simons was traded), or he's going to keep the sixth-man role that he has excelled at over the last few years, the Oregon alum should be in line for the biggest role of his career.
Pritchard has long been an important part of Boston's success, and that's going to especially be true next season. The Celtics have already extended Neemias Queta, Jordan Walsh, and Ron Harper Jr., and they need to do the same for Pritchard when the time comes (after all, what was the point of the Jaylen Brown trade if they don't?).
Payton Pritchard is going to be important to the Celtics' success
Despite what a lot of people are saying after the Brown-Paul George swap, the Celtics still have legitimate championship aspirations, and they're going to need all hands on deck to make that happen.
Obviously, a lot of pressure is going to be on Jayson Tatum (who is finally the Celtics' clear-cut No. 1 option), George, and Derrick White (who is still crucial to the team, in spite of his inefficient campaign last season), but in many ways, Pritchard is going to be their biggest X-factor.
Boston is in serious need of more shot creation with Brown no longer on the roster, and Pritchard is the best bet to fill that void. The 28-year-old is a certified bucket-getter who is virtually unstoppable when he's in his element. He can go one-on-one against anybody and everybody in the game, and he can score from anywhere on the court.
Last season was Pritchard's best in the NBA so far (17 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.2 assists on 46.4/37.7/89% shooting splits in 79 games). He has gotten better each year of his NBA career (a lot of this is due to his role gradually expanding, but he also just looks more comfortable on the court), and he has already proven he can rise to the occasion when needed.
Boston needs to do whatever it can to ensure Pritchard stays with the team in the long run. He was already an important part of their success, but that's especially true now that he is going to be tasked with at least partially filling the void left by the Brown trade. Before the season starts, the Celtics need to lock Pritchard up and make sure he sticks around for their new era of basketball.
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