2 Boston Celtics players bound to regress in 2022-23

Boston Celtics player No. 1) Payton Pritchard

The addition of Malcolm Brogdon this offseason was met with astounding optimism from both fans and media pundits alike, as he adds a new layer to this Boston Celtics guard rotation that, last season, they simply did not have.

With him in tow, this once barren backcourt seems to be one of the deepest in the league, particularly when it comes to the two-way potential the likes of Brogdon, Derrick White, and incumbent starter Marcus Smart possess.

And while this all is well and good, the aforementioned three-headed monster could easily wind up negatively impacting the on-court time that the one-dimensional third-year guard, Payton Pritchard, would have otherwise been eligible for.

Throughout his tenure, the former first-rounder has established himself as a true favorite amongst the C’s faithful followers, as he’s served as an energizer-bunny type of reserve and a spark plug offensive contributor for the ball club.

When given ample run on the floor, Pritchard has been an absolute gem for Boston, posting averages of 11.5 points, three assists, and 3.7 rebounds on 47 percent shooting from deep when receiving 20-29 minutes and 15.7 points, four assists, and three boards on 42 percent shooting from deep when playing 30-39 minutes for his career.

Despite all that he’s proven, however, now with the overabundance of perimeter players, the 24-year-old’s odds of seeing extended playing time unfortunately only decreases.

We already saw a decline in minutes from year one to year two what with the addition of extra guards (Dennis Schroder, followed by Derrick White).

Unjust as it may be, heading into year three one should expect an even greater slashing to his MPG averages to take place.