Getty Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics
Payton Pritchard has been providing the Boston Celtics with some impactful minutes over their last few games as he continues to stake his claim for a more prominent role within the rotation.
The Celtics, like most teams around the league, are struggling with the effects of contact tracing and the league’s health and safety protocols as the Coronavirus continues to sweep through the NBA. Some of the Celtics’ younger players are seeing increased minutes as a result.
Aaron Nesmith and Payton Pritchard with 11 points on 5/7 FG. Minutes and rhythm can do wonders. It’s so hard in this league with so few minutes and opportunities to go around though. Brown, Tatum, Richardson, Langford, Schröder, Smart have been ahead of these guys all year.
Aaron Nesmith started the Celtics game against the New York Knicks on December 18, while Pritchard has come off the bench in both of Boston’s last two contests, impressing in both. In fact, Pritchard played so well in the December 20 game against the Philadelphia 76ers that people are starting to speculate about Dennis Schroder’s role on the roster and whether the team would be better served moving on from the veteran and getting some future assets in return.
“It just feels good to go out there these last two games and get a lot of run, and obviously, tonight it’s unfortunate that we couldn’t pull it out,” Pritchard told the media after the Celtics lost to the Sixers.
Pritchard Could Replace Schroder in the Rotation
While it’s abundantly clear that Pritchard’s defense is an area of weakness, his ability to run the offense, create out of pick-and-rolls, and of course, space the floor make him a valuable young asset to the Celtics. Sure, Schroder is a more robust defender, but beyond that, the difference between these two guards is negligible, but only one of them has room to continue improving.
Celtics insider Brian Robb recently wrote about the possibility of Boston moving on from Schroder due to Pritchard’s emergence and explained what the front office’s potential thought process could look like.
“Pritchard’s emergence can also perhaps shake up Udoka’s rotation — and leave Celtics president Brad Stevens with some intriguing decisions at the trade deadline.
It takes two to tango, so another team would need to show interest in Schroder for this hypothetical to become possible. But, Schroder is arguably the best value contract in the league this season and is easily outperforming his modest price tag.
The Cs are basically saying to Pritchard “So just hang out on the bench for half the season so we can build Schroeder’s trade value then cash in, k thanks!”
Yet, despite Schroder’s impressive play, it makes sense for the Celtics to provide Pritchard with more opportunities to aid his growth and development. At the same time, his shooting ability would go some way to solving Boston’s spacing issues when the bench unit is in the game.
Pritchard Has Rediscovered His Shooting Form
Pritchard suffered a broken nose early in the season and spent the next few weeks playing with a protective face mask. Looking back, those games where Pritchard wore the protective covering are when his production began to dip.
On a night where the Portland native shot 40% from three and 66.7% from the field, Pritchard was asked about his shooting ability and whether his recent struggles were due to a lack of rhythm or form.
“It’s a lot better shooting without a mask. I can tell you that,” Pritchard replied.
This is the same Pritchard who ended last season, averaging 41.1% on his three-point attempts and 44% from the field. It was evident during the summer months that the sophomore guard was preparing to take another step in his development this season.
Despite some unforeseen hurdles in his way, it would look like the second-year guard is grasping the opportunity at hand.
Unfortunately for Schroder, the better Pritchard plays, and the harder he grasps his opportunity, the closer it pushes him to the exit door. But hey, this was only ever destined to be a short-term partnership, and it would seem the time together is drawing to a close.