The Boston Celtics had all offseason to trade Payton Pritchard if they were going to do it, and nothing has come to fruition. I think that says a lot about where they view him in this team's core going forward.
It wasn't like Pritchard didn't get moved because he didn't have any trade value. He has done more than enough while playing on a contending team to impress other front offices around the association and make them interested in acquiring him.
And sure, there's technically another week and a half before media day and a trade could still be made. But I wouldn't be putting my money on that happening. It's more obvious than ever that Payton is on his way to what could be a career-defining season in Boston.
Back in June, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that the Celtics were projecting Pritchard to be in a "significant role" this coming season in spite of some trade rumors already cropping up by that point. There were clearly already signs pointing to this outcome much earlier in the offseason. The fact that we never really came close to a trade happening should only reinforce the idea that he's heading toward a big opportunity this coming season.
Payton Pritchard could have a career season
So what will that opportunity look like? I would imagine probably a career-high average in minutes per game as a start. The Celtics of course lost Jrue Holiday this summer, and they didn't really add another high-level primary ball-handler over the course of the remainder of the offseason.
You of course now have Anfernee Simons as a player that's going to eat up a lot of minutes in the backcourt, but I see Pritchard as more of a consistent on-ball guy than him. He'll get a lot of opportunity this season to direct the offense with the second unit, and we should learn a good bit more about him.
Obviously, Pritchard is at his best when he's pushing the pace, bringing energy, and keeping defenses honest with his quick trigger. It was his balance between raining shots from outside while displaying improvement in his playmaking last season that won him the Sixth Man of the Year award.
With that said, his defense is still a pretty big question mark. Probably another of the biggest criticisms of Payton has been his streakiness. He'll have the chance to improve in both of these areas over the course of the next six months, but the reality is that Boston will need him to produce right away.
It's extremely clear that the Celtics have put their trust in Pritchard. But with that trust comes the expectation that he can use this opportunity to achieve greater consistency and reach a new level. If all the pieces come together, it's going to be a very exciting season for the sixth-year guard.