Hand The Keys To The Franchise To Payton Pritchard
The Celtics are going through a little bit of an identity crisis right now. Boston who was thought to be at least a legit contender in the Eastern Conference, looks nothing like one. I’m not sure there’s a clear solution. The only thing that is evident is that Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Payton Pritchard are the franchise.
If you didn’t exit the article yet, I’m dead serious. Hand the keys to Pritchard and be done with it. Pritchard should be considered the point guard of the future in Boston. There is no sense in waiting.
Maybe the Pritchard hype was premature and still is. However, there is no denying the impact he’s having. Pritchard has impressed virtually everyone in the organization. Pritchard is the only point guard on the roster hitting his shots at an efficient rate. The Oregon product sits at .475/.41/.923 from the field, 3, and the free throw line.
Pritchard just looks like he belongs from the jump. He hasn’t taken up a super high usage rate yet but he’s scoring and moving the ball no problem. Frankly, he’s the only point guard on the roster that’s able to function on the floor right now.
+/- doesn’t mean everything but with Pritchard, it passes the eye test. Pritchard sports a +6.8 rating on the season compared to when he’s not on the floor. No, he’s not a floor general yet but Pritchard just does his job when Tatum and Brown are on the court.
Kemba Walker is destroying the team. His knees are just shot. Jeff Teague has been horrendous all year. Carsen Edwards has talent but still hasn’t been able to figure out when to stop taking bad shots. At this rate, I’d rather see Edwards get more minutes than Teague.
The fact of the matter is, if the Celtics want to build the next championship team, the window with Kemba is over. They’re not a real title team right now. Maybe this is an overreaction but it’s clear the Celtics need to take a step back and reevaluate.
Brown, Tatum, and Pritchard are all under the age of 25. It’s time to take a step back and make sure those three can be the best versions of themselves. There’s no reason to go out and acquire a JJ Redick. He’s not moving the needle. Cut the cord on Kemba Walker, Tristan Thompson, and whatever veterans are on the team.
Hand the keys to Payton Pritchard. Put the first round pick out of Oregon in the starting lineup. Tell Kemba Walker to kick rocks. Pritchard has proven he’s special and it’s time to make him more of a priority.
