Sunday night, the Boston Celtics are in Brewtown. It's a rematch with the Milwaukee Bucks, who were at TD Garden on Wednesday. Protecting the parquet, the hosts earned a 109-102 win. It was a tale of two halves, as the visitors nearly rallied from a 22-point deficit.
In Round 2, Boston is inserting Mike Conley into the first unit. That's not because of injuries; everyone on the team is available. It's a nice gesture for a decorated veteran.
It's a thank-you to a highly respected voice in the locker room who is acting as part player, part mentor, and part coach. While it's a wonderful gesture toward a former All-Star, it also reinforces that, for now, Payton Pritchard is locked into his role.
Payton Pritchard is entrenched as the Celtics' sixth man
Round 1 on Wednesday was a roller coaster. If Joe Mazzulla wanted to throw an early haymaker, starting Pritchard made more sense than starting Conley.
At 1-8, the Bucks are tied for the worst record in the NBA. That creates an opportunity to have the former Ohio State star on the floor when the game gets underway.
It also opened the door to experimenting and seeing how it looked with the former Oregon standout in the first unit. Not going in that direction is telling.
It seemingly signals that the team felt that wasn't necessary. Why? Because they believe it's best to have Pritchard anchoring the second unit. That's understandable. Keeping him in that role makes it easier to manage the rotation.
Celtics should experiment with starting Payton Pritchard
As a three-level scorer, one of the best in isolation last season, and someone who is a knockdown shooter and tough to keep out of the paint, he could be Boston's second-leading scorer this year.
Pritchard also has excellent chemistry with Jayson Tatum. He accentuates the team's best player. When those two are running pick-and-rolls or one of them is a pass away, it puts the defense in a bind. It's creating advantages for a tandem and an offense that is hard to stop without them.
This author would love to see Pritchard get an opportunity to start. If it doesn't work or the rotation is too difficult to manage, the Celtics can always revert to having him in the second unit.
That doesn't seem to be the direction the Celtics want to go. That's perfectly rational. Plus, they can bring him in early and have Pritchard on the floor to close contests. But it does seem more beneficial to see how it goes with him starting, rather than never experimenting with it.
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