We’re only two games into an 82-game season, but based on the early returns, it hardly looks like there’s a big new role coming for Payton Pritchard in the Celtics' offense. All offseason, we heard about how he was going to take another leap this season and would be more involved on a nightly basis, perhaps even being the number two option to Jayson Tatum.
It made sense, and it felt like Pritchard was underused in the team’s playoff loss. With Jaylen Brown being traded away and Pritchard given a fresh contract extension, it seemed like this was finally the time for him to take more on his plate.
Pritchard's role doesn't look any different from last season
But through two games, it doesn’t look like that’s the case at all. He played fine on opening day, but saw only 27 minutes in the loss to Detroit and attempted 9 field goals. This seemed easy enough to correct, and figured to be a point of emphasis after the offense went stagnant, while blowing a huge lead to the Pistons.
In game two on Friday night, Pritchard did see a slight bump, as he got up to 30 minutes on the night, still coming off the bench. He also tied for a team high at +8 during his minutes on the court. And that’s pretty much where the good news ends.
Pritchard scored just 4 points on the night on 1-for-5 shooting. His only make was a 3-pointer, where he went 1-for-3 from beyond the arc and hit 1-of-2 free throws. He added 4 assists, but just 1 rebound and no steals.
Celtics' offense needs Pritchard to do more
It’s another fairly baffling showing from a guy that I assumed would be a focal point, and even though they won the game, I think it’s something that needs to be addressed. Paul George had a nice game, but came back to earth with 15 points on 6-for-15 shooting, Derrick White chipped in 12 points on 5-for-11, and Neemias Queta led the bench with 15 points on 4-for-8.
But the Boston offense scored just 107 points, and they only won this game because of Jayson Tatum’s heroics, scoring 36 points and 25 in the second half. Tatum’s the kind of superstar who can do this, but it shouldn’t be the norm, and the Celtics shouldn’t have to rely on him to have this kind of game for them to win a dogfight.
He needs help on the offensive end in the form of a secondary creator, playmaker, and shot-maker. That’s supposed to be Pritchard, but so far, he has looked like a complete afterthought. Maybe these have just been two weird games, and circumstances have led to some outlier results, but either way, it has to change.
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