The Boston Celtics are in desperate need of a third scorer this postseason. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are accounting for over 45 percent of their team's production. Their share of the points pie isn't the issue. The problem is how small a slice their teammates are cutting for themselves.
Derrick White is producing just 8.2 points per contest through the first five games of this rivalry clash with the Philadelphia 76ers. He's shooting below 30 percent from the field. He is launching 6.6 threes and seeing only 21.2 percent of them splash through the net.
It has reached the point where the ninth-year guard is shying away from shots. He only attempted eight in Boston's 113-97 loss in Tuesday's tilt at TD Garden. That's actually three more than he hoisted in Game 4, when he took five in 32:31 of floor time. It's seemingly a building bout with confidence that stems from a season spent searching for his shooting rhythm.
His bright spots are a significant part of the Celtics' 3-2 series lead, even if some lose sight of them. White has relentlessly fought over screens. The job he is doing defending Tyrese Maxey has helped limit the Sixers' star's impact. Philadelphia's franchise guard has required 22.2 shots to average 25.6 points in this first-round rivalry clash.
White also swooped in for a pair of crunch-time offensive rebounds that twice led to buckets, including a dagger 3 from Tatum, helping Boston claim a crucial Game 3 victory after dropping the previous matchup on its home floor.
The Celtics aren't going away from Derrick White, regardless of whether he snaps out of his shooting funk. He means too much to this team. And if they are to stage a lengthy playoff run, especially one where they're representing the East in the NBA Finals, they'll need him to recapture his touch from beyond the arc.
In the meantime, the Celtics must turn to Payton Pritchard
Last season's Sixth Man of the Year is the clear answer to who can be the third scorer Boston needs. He is the only player on the team to join Tatum and Brown in putting at least 15 points on the board in a game this series. The former Oregon standout has done so twice. That includes generating a playoff career-high 32 points in the visitors' Game 4 win.
OUT OF HIS MIND 🤯 pic.twitter.com/CZTxh6LoLY
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 26, 2026
For the series, Pritchard's averaging 15 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.6 rebounds in 31 minutes of floor time. The latter needs to go up. According to databallar.com, he's a part of the C's three best duos, their top-two trios, four best quartets, and top-five five-player lineups this series.
In Tuesday's loss, on a night where the hosts didn't reach triple-digits, missing five attempts at the rim, 13 in the paint, and 28 of the threes they hoisted, the sixth-year guard was 5/9 from the field through three quarters. He played 4:14 in the final frame, as the starters remained on the floor for most of the period. The outcome was 11 points in 12 minutes.
Pritchard's three-level scoring and ability to attack off the dribble to puncture the paint, where he's elite at playing off two feet, can breathe life into an offense that was dormant in Game 5. He can operate off of Tatum and Brown and step up when sharing the floor with just one of them.
The Celtics need a third scorer. Their best bet is Payton Pritchard.
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