When the Boston Celtics traded Jrue Holiday for Anfernee Simons this summer, questions immediately flooded in regarding who would be the starting point guard alongside Derrick White. At Media Day, head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked about both in the same question, but he wasn’t a fan of the two guards being lumped together:
“I see what you did there, build that correlation between Payton and Anfernee, which I'm sure you’ll try to do the entire season,” Mazzulla said, firing back at the reporter. “[I’ll] nip that in the bud immediately. Those two don't go hand in hand. They’re completely different [players].”
Different players, same position.
How will Payton Pritchard and Anfernee Simons co-exist?
Every team has multiple players at the same position. Depth is more important than ever in today’s NBA, and though there is more to Simons’ situation than just his play on the court (finances, future fit, etc.), his talent is undeniable.
Simons is fresh off a seven-year career with the Portland Trail Blazers, where he blossomed into one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA. He’s an impressive individual scorer and a great volume shooter from distance.
While Pritchard also excels in those areas, it’s not the same.
Pritchard has a leg up on Simons on the defensive end, but Simons has far more experience as a scorer in the NBA, especially being guarded by the league’s best.
Up to this point, Pritchard has rarely been guarded by the best defenders on opposing teams, while Simons has had to deal with that in recent years. That knowledge and experience will be a valuable part of the Celtics rotation, especially with so many offseason departures (and the absence of Jayson Tatum).
Pritchard’s ball-handling will have a chance to shine, and his catch-and-shoot three-point skills will fit like a glove alongside Simons. The two could even share the court together when White gets his rest time.
Obviously, since both play the same position and thrive as three-point-heavy guards, there will inevitably be a correlation made, especially since they are probably competing for the same starting spot.
However, just because two players on the same roster have similar games doesn’t mean they can’t co-exist. If anything, it just makes Boston’s depth that much more deadly.
And clearly, Mazzulla isn’t a fan of people trying to pit his players against one another. That’s the last thing he wants heading into a season that will present plenty of new challenges.