The Boston Celtics have a wide-open backcourt spot in their starting five after trading Jrue Holiday, which instantly creates a Payton Pritchard problem. Fans know the reigning Sixth Man of the Year wants to play significant minutes, and he’s arguably one of the franchise’s three healthy building blocks this season. Boston acquired Anfernee Simons in the Holiday trade. Is Pritchard willing to come off the bench behind him? If not, Joe Mazzulla could have a larger headache.
Pritchard is a proven playmaker and scorer. He averaged 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 0.9 steals in 28.4 minutes per game last season. The 27-year-old deserves to be part of their closing group. Coach Mazzulla would prefer to have at least two of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Pritchard on the floor at all times, but that stagger gets complicated if all three start.
The Celtics want to move on from Simons’ expiring contract and could do so at any time. Putting him in a key bench role leading the second unit before dumping his contract could throw off Mazzulla’s rotations. Pritchard is the league’s best sixth man. He's in line for more minutes, but asking him to fill a reserve role behind a player the team doesn't want isn’t an easy sell. It is even more difficult to convince a player who has been upset with his run in the past.
Payton Pritchard problem the Celtics must solve during training camp
Pritchard has thrived under Joe Mazzulla and become an elite scorer and shooter. Teams can’t stop him. The added confidence and role clarity have certainly helped his production climb to new heights.
Boston needs to do everything they can to keep Pritchard content and confident. If that means starting him, Mazzulla must. He has three years left on one of the most team-friendly contracts in the NBA, and the Celtics know he will be a key piece of their success over that stretch.
The 6’1 guard has started just 17 of his 347 career games. Pritchard will be higher up on the scouting report than ever before, and teams will certainly throw their best defenses out when he’s running the show. Mazzulla must decide how to maximize him and get Pritchard fully on board with that decision.
Celtics fans would love nothing more than to see Brown, Pritchard, and White starting on opening night. Boston traded away multiple pieces, but they have zero plans of tanking with Jayson Tatum out. Coach Mazzulla is not wired that way. He will try to win every night. The Celtics lost a lot of talent, so they will have to win with shooting and togetherness this season. That means having everyone bought in and thriving in their roles.
The Boston Celtics have multiple issues to sort out during training camp. They must settle on a starting five and figure out how to maximize their new additions. Joe Mazzulla has his work cut out for him, and it should start with solving this Payton Pritchard problem. He is a core piece and needs clarity before figuring out the rest. Fans will be locked in during the preseason to see how this new-look team fares. Things will certainly be different, so stay tuned.