During the Celtics’ first round playoff series vs. the Orlando Magic, Payton Pritchard was announced the Sixth Man of the Year.
Payton Pritchard didn’t take much time to celebrate his Sixth Man of the Year award in April. He couldn’t, really.
The Celtics were near the beginning of last season’s first-round playoff series against the Orlando Magic when he was announced the winner. Plus, it’s not in his personality to ever feel satisfied. Capturing the honor only reinforced his belief that a lifetime of relentless work would continue to benefit him.
“It just shows that I feel like I’m on the right path,” Pritchard said then. “That the hard work I put in and the grind and everything, that it’s paying off. So it just shows me that I’m going to continue to do what I’m going to do and keep putting (the work) in.”
Could that work lead Pritchard to another leap in production? After an offseason of changes in Boston, he is a prime candidate to seize a bigger role. With Jayson Tatum sidelined indefinitely and several other key contributors departed, other Celtics will need to step further to the forefront. Jaylen Brown will become the first scoring option. Derrick White should have the ball in his hands more often than ever. Up and down the roster, players will see new types of opportunities. It could be Pritchard, fresh off a career season, set to take the biggest jump forward (again).
Pritchard’s past performance shows he can capitalize when the Celtics are missing key players. Over 10 games without Tatum last season, the guard averaged 19.0 points, 5.3 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the field (37.3 percent on 3-point attempts). He scored at least 20 points in four of those outings, including two games with 30-plus points. Though one of the latter efforts came against a depleted Hornets squad on the final day of the regular season (not exactly the highest level of NBA competition), Pritchard’s career-high 43 points against the Blazers in March came with no reason for an asterisk. Portland entered TD Garden with a surging defense that typically shut down opponents at the 3-point arc. Pritchard torched that defense on 14-for-20 shooting, including 10-for-16 on 3-point attempts. He and White (41 points) became the first pair of Celtics teammates to each score 40 points in the same game.
After winning Sixth Man of the Year, Payton Pritchard didn’t have much time to rest on his laurels. (Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
Pritchard has raised his scoring when the Celtics need it — and, unlike most other players, he has done so without sacrificing much efficiency, if any. Overall, he ranked 11th in effective field goal percentage last season, an incredible feat for a guard his size. Pritchard’s 3-point percentage (40.7 percent) ranked 20th all-time among players to make at least 250 3-pointers in a single season.
Most of the names above him on that list represent 3-point royalty, including Stephen Curry (nine times), Klay Thompson (three) and Ray Allen (once). Even if Pritchard’s percentages fall without as many All-Stars and former All-Stars around him, he has room for his efficiency to dip while remaining one of the NBA’s better high-volume shooters.
The Celtics should ask more from him with Tatum injured and much of the supporting cast broken up. And they should adopt a style even more conducive to Pritchard.
Without Tatum out indefinitely, they should play at least somewhat faster than last season, when they ranked 29th in pace. Brown, who has been asking for more pace for years, would like that. He finished second in transition points per game in 2023-24, but dipped to 12th in that category last season when the Celtics played slightly slower relative to league average.
The other perimeter players could also benefit from such a switch, which seems likely. The Celtics are no longer big enough or experienced enough to live in the half court most of the time. They should aim to get out in transition, where they can hunt 3-pointers to take advantage of all the marksmen on their roster. With Pritchard, White, Anfernee Simons and Sam Hauser, they are still blessed with some of the league’s most talented shooters, though they will miss Tatum’s ability to create advantages.
One potential downside for Pritchard: Simons, the newcomer, should compete with him for backcourt minutes and potentially a starting job. Still, the addition of Simons won’t necessarily cut into Pritchard’s opportunities. The rotation should have room for White, Pritchard and Simons all to play a lot, especially if the new roster construction pushes head coach Joe Mazzulla to lean more heavily on smaller lineups. As gifted as Simons is on offense, he hasn’t proven he can defend competently. It should take time for him to earn Mazzulla’s trust like Pritchard did long ago on both ends of the court.
Even if Pritchard doesn’t start, the Celtics should give him more freedom than he had last season — and he had plenty of freedom while averaging nearly eight 3-point attempts per game. Tatum’s absence should help push that average up. During minutes without Tatum on the court last season, Pritchard’s usage rate jumped from 17 percent to 21.5 percent. In another sign of the green light that should be waiting for him this season, Pritchard attempted more than 10 3-pointers per game when Tatum was sidelined. Pritchard could be due for a jump similar to the one Fred VanVleet took after Kawhi Leonard left the Toronto Raptors after their championship in 2019.
As much as Pritchard will benefit from increased responsibilities, they will come with some challenges. He and the other Celtics ball handlers will need to jell with a new-look frontcourt. Last season’s big men helped make the game easy for the guards by spacing the court, drawing attention and complementing their teammates with a high IQ.
Without Kristaps Porziņģis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet, the dropoff in talent will be severe. That will put more pressure on the Boston guards, who will miss Tatum’s presence as well as the wealth of experienced veterans that walked out the door this offseason (add Jrue Holiday to the list of key departures). The burden on the perimeter players will be extreme if the frontcourt of Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, Chris Boucher and Xavier Tillman becomes a disaster.
Even if the frontcourt exceeds expectations, the Celtics won’t be on the short list of title favorites anymore. They have lost too much talent. That won’t be good for their win total, but it should lead to an even bigger Pritchard season.
