There’s no way to sugarcoat it: Payton Pritchard has not gotten off to a very good start to the season. He has two big games against the Bulls, and otherwise he has been disappointing and is mired in an ugly shooting slump, going 0-for-12 from three-point range in the Celtics’ last two games against the Magic and Rockets.
In past years, this may not have been a huge deal, as the team has generally had a lot of offensive firepower and Pritchard has been more of a luxury; a sixth-man who can come in and get hot off the bench without being heavily relied upon.
But that’s different this year in the wake of the Jaylen Brown trade. Boston needs Pritchard to be consistent and give them offense on a nightly basis, whether he’s starting or coming off the bench, and so far, that just hasn’t happened.
Pritchard should go off against Bucks without Tatum
Hopefully, that will change starting on Wednesday night, as the Celtics are holding out Jayson Tatum for rest at home against the lowly Milwaukee Bucks, creating a massive opportunity for Payton to get on track. The team is going to need to get its offense from somewhere, and while Paul George and Derrick White can bring some juice, Pritchard should be the go-to guy.
He was questionable all day with a shoulder injury, which may explain some of his recent poor shooting, but he was ruled available shortly before tip-off, meaning he should play a huge role. And this isn’t a game where he can drift in and out; it’s a game that he needs to take over and control whenever he’s on the floor.
Celtics need a consistent Pritchard to hit their ceiling
The Celtics simply can’t be the team they want to be and can’t reach their goals without Pritchard leveling up and becoming a core piece and a steady part of the offense. Four out of the first seven games in single-figure scoring just isn’t going to cut it, and one way or another, he needs to get it going.
It’s not like one big game in a blowout over the Bucks is going to change everything, but maybe it can be the spark he needs to get hot and regain his confidence. It’s not that Tatum steps on his toes or anything, but he’s clearly the hub of the offense and plays 35 minutes a game. Without him, there’s no question that Pritchard has the green light to do whatever he wants.
Perhaps that’s exactly what he needs, and hopefully, this game will serve as a launchpad to get his season going, to remind everyone that he can carry an offense, and to show the team’s potential when he’s clicking every night once Tatum is back in the lineup. And if he can’t get hot, the Celtics will be in trouble without JT, even against the Bucks, and some alarm bells may start going off.
Add us as a preferred source on Google