Boston Celtics: Pros and cons of Payton Pritchard earning a starting role

Payton Pritchard has been a welcome surprise for the Boston Celtics, but should he be starting? Let’s look at the pros and cons of starting the rookie.

The most surprising thing about the start of the Boston Celtics’ 2020-21 season hasn’t been the emergence of Jaylen Brown as a budding star, the drop in the C’s defensive prowess, or how close many of Boston’s wins have been; so far, the biggest–and best–surprise for the Celtics has been the stellar play of rookie point guard Payton Pritchard.

Last week, I wrote about Pritchard’s impact on the Celtics and how he could turn out to be the steal of the 2020 NBA Draft. After a phenomenal night against the Toronto Raptors on Monday, I’m again taking a look at the rookie out of Oregon…because something may be happening here (and what it is ain’t exactly clear yet).

So far this season, Pritchard has come off the bench in all eight of Boston’s games. He’s had a noticeable impact in almost all of those contests, and the biggest night of his young career came against the Raptors on Monday when he totaled 23 points, eight assists, and two rebounds in 32 minutes of action.

Aka “starter minutes”.

In doing so, Pritchard did something only Boston legend Larry Bird had accomplished as a Celtic.

With that in mind, is it time for Pritchard to earn a starting role for the Celtics for the foreseeable future?

Pritchard played more on Monday because both Marcus Smart and Jeff Teague sat out. Even then, the rookie didn’t get the start, as Brad Stevens turned to Tremont Waters to begin the game. Waters wasn’t nearly as effective as Pritchard, though, managing 5 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, and 4 turnovers in 24 minutes.

Even if Smart and Teague are good to go, has Pritchard done enough to warrant starting just a few weeks into his NBA career?

Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of Pritchard getting the starting point guard gig.

Pro: Pritchard has been the best, most consistent point guard

Though it’s a small sample size, Payton Pritchard has been Boston’s most consistent floor general when he’s been on the court. Aside from some issues stepping out of bounds, Pritchard has made the most of his minutes and has been a good scorer and assister both.

Per 100 possessions, Pritchard’s and Marcus Smart’s numbers are fairly close, with Smart averaging 18.1 points, 9.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and 2.7 turnovers while Pritchard averages 17.8 points, 6.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 2.8 steals, and 4.1 turnovers.

The thing is, Pritchard has actually been more consistent than both Smart and Jeff Teague so far this season.

Pritchard has totaled 10 or more points three times, has at least one steal in seven of the eight games he’s played, has three or more assists in four of his appearances, and has been hit at least one three-pointer in five of his games. Pritchard has done that all while averaging just 23.1 minutes a game, too.

Smart has been solid, scoring in double figures in six of his seven games, and he’s dished out a ton of assists to Boston’s scorers, getting four or more in all of his starts. For a seven-year veteran, though, he’s still had his struggles with consistency, and the young Pritchard has seemed a steadier hand in some instances.

Both have been good defensively and have made plenty of plays at point guard, but there’s a different spark for the Boston Celtics when Pritchard has been on the floor. Giving him a few starts to see if that carries over might not be a bad idea at all.

Con: Questions of sustainability

Yes, Pritchard’s great play to begin the season is undeniable, but is this just a hot start? Is his play sustainable over the next month or into the summer?

Every NBA player will have their fair share of ups and downs in a season, and every player struggles with cold spells. Is such a roadblock looming for Pritchard as teams begin to adjust to his tendencies as he plays more?

It’s impossible to predict the future, but the kind of night Pritchard had against Toronto likely isn’t the norm moving forward. The young point guard has proven himself so far in more than just that one game, but he’s never had to play the length of an NBA season. Will he be able to maintain this type of pace and play over the next month or so?

So far, Pritchard hasn’t played a huge chunk of minutes up until recently. He played more than 25 minutes just once in his first six games, but the rookie has totaled 27 and 32 minutes in his last two contests.

This is a whole new stage for Pritchard, something he’s never experienced in his playing career before. If this is more than a flash in the pan, then that’s great news for the Boston Celtics. If it’s not, then starting Pritchard could prove detrimental.

Pro: Pritchard adds a different dimension

Thanks in large part to Pritchard’s contributions, the Boston Celtics have become one of the best three-point shooting teams in the NBA this season.

Boston is connecting on 40.2% of their threes so far this year, which ranks fourth in the league. That’s the highest three-point shooting percentage ranking for the team since they finished second in the league with a 37.7% clip in the 2017-18 season.

The Celtics have improved so much from last season; they made just 36.4% of their threes last season but have improved to 13th in the NBA this year because of the added presence of Pritchard along the perimeter.

The rookie is making 42.1% of his threes through eight games.

It’s not beginner’s luck at this point.

Jeff Teague has only been shooting one or two three-pointers a game, which leaves Semi Ojeleye, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown as the only other C’s players with better shooting numbers from three right now.

Granted, Marcus Smart has been shooting better from distance so far this season, but that looks like an outlier given his track record before this season. Smart was never an exceptional 3-point shooter in college at Oklahoma State, either.

Pritchard, on the other hand, was a career 38% three-point shooter at Oregon and twice finished a season with a three-point shooting percentage of better than 41% for the Ducks. In fact, Pritchard finished his Oregon career with the second-most made three-pointers (288) in a Ducks career.

Smart hasn’t shown himself to be a reliable three-point shooter in his career, and Teague doesn’t shoot enough from distance to be a true, consistent weapon there. Pritchard has a proven track record of being a quality shot taker from the perimeter, and his presence on the outside makes Boston’s offense more dynamic and dangerous.

Con: Too much pressure

Asking a rookie to be a starter on any team is a big risk. Not every rookie is capable of coming in and taking on that responsibility right away, especially when there are more veteran players at his position already on the roster.

That pressure gets ramped up even more when a rookie is asked to start on a title contender. Especially if that title contender is a storied franchise such as the Boston Celtics.

So far, Pritchard has looked fine under pressure, but he’s also been coming off the bench as a spark plug. Does his demeanor change if he’s asked to start and orchestrate the offense from the jump?

Obviously, Boston’s starting point guard job is Kemba Walker’s to take once he’s fully healthy again. In the meantime, does putting a rookie in that position to “hold down the fort” add too much pressure to a young player who already didn’t have a normal offseason thanks to the current pandemic? Is it better to have Pritchard remain the “sixth man” and start the veterans until Walker returns?

Pritchard has been a pleasant surprise for Boston thus far, so why mess with a good thing and potentially ruin his confidence or his rhythm by giving him a new role? If he’s comfortable in this spot, it makes sense to keep riding that wave.

Verdict

Ultimately, now is the time to tweak with the lineup and make sure you’re getting your players prepared for a postseason run. Pritchard gives the Celtics a nice ace up their sleeve to use how they see fit, but this spot is still Kemba Walker’s to take over as long as he’s his old self again.