The Boston Celtics are looking to make up for last season’s lackluster campaign by steamrolling their way through this second half of the year and, in turn, setting themselves up nicely for a deep playoff run come mid-April.
Over the last 30 games, the shamrocks boast a stellar 22-8 record which, as a result, has them stationed in the fifth seed out east with an overall record of 39-27.
For the most part, the team’s success since the start of the new year has been heavily influenced by the phenomenal performances put forth by the league’s best Big-3 in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Robert Williams/ Marcus Smart (whomever you wish to choose as the third cog, they’re still the best), but this is not to say that others within the rotation haven’t done their fair share of stepping up along the way.
In fact, as the C’s approach the end of the regular season and the beginning of the postseason, we at HH believe that 3 bench players, in specific, have proven to be true X-factors within the second unit.
Boston Celtics X-factor No. 1) Payton Pritchard
Despite a slow start to the year and continued struggles throughout to see consistent playing time, Payton Pritchard has proven to be more than capable of producing in an energizer-bunny role when given the opportunity.
While it may be a bit of a surprise, the sophomore guard is actually putting up rather impressive numbers this year, boasting averages of 14.8 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per 75 possessions on 37.5 percent shooting from deep.
On top of all this, when actually given ample playing time (18 or more minutes in an outing), Pritchard has only proven that he’s capable of producing admirably, as he’s boasting solid averages of 11.2 points, 3.3 assists, and 3.1 rebounds on a highly efficient 49 percent shooting from the floor and 44 percent shooting from deep.
Showing that he can be an effective and rather consistent offensive contributor when given a solid amount of run, this semi-offensively stagnant Boston Celtics squad that ranks just 22nd in 3-point percentage while also ranking next to last in Offensive Rating when it comes to their second unit should be looking into finding more time for Payton Pritchard within the rotation, especially as the team begins to descend on their regular-season run and make their way towards the playoffs, where an all hands on deck mentality is a necessity.