I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the Boston Celtics should start Payton Pritchard this season. And after their tough loss to the Detroit Pistons during the season opener, the case for Pritchard starting is even stronger.
The Celtics opted to start Jordan Walsh over Pritchard (which they shouldn't do again), and it exposed one big problem: they need more offense in the starting lineup. Boston needs to take pressure off Jayson Tatum, Paul George, and Derrick White, and Pritchard is the best option to do that because of his amazing shot-creation ability.
Plus, Boston gave Pritchard his traditional sixth-man role and didn't give him more opportunities to take a leap (he scored 17 points in 28 minutes, but he shot 4-for-9 from the field and 2-for-5 from deep; he should've put up way more shots, especially with how stagnant the Celtics' offense looked towards the end of the game).
The easiest fix to all those problems is to insert the Oregon native into the starting lineup, and Boston should do that sooner rather than later.
Payton Pritchard deserves a starting role with the Celtics
Even beyond what he can do as a scorer, Pritchard looked pretty impressive as a facilitator/passer (at least by his standards). He only recorded one assist against the Pistons, but that doesn't do his performance justice.
Pritchard did a good job of moving the ball around and finding open guys, even though that's not his primary role. He also averaged a career-high 5.2 assists per game last season, so we know he's capable of being more than just a microwave scorer (and an underrated rebounder and, in my opinion, defender).
The 28-year-old was also fantastic in his time as a starter for the Celtics last season. Before Anfernee Simons was traded and Jayson Tatum returned to the court, Pritchard was a full-time starter for Boston. In 50 total starts last season, he averaged 16.9 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.3 rebounds on 45.6/34.8/86.7% shooting splits, according to StatMuse.
He deserves a full-time starting role in Boston, and given how everything worked out during the season opener, it's easy to see why. The Celtics need more shot creation and offensive firepower (particularly alongside Tatum, George, and White), and they have someone in Pritchard who can address both of these needs.
Boston should make Pritchard a starter, especially if it really wants to unlock his and the team's full potential this season.
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