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Payton Pritchard has come a long way in his career, and has earned the right to be a starter in the NBA. He is almost certainly one of Boston’s top-5 players coming into the 2026-27 season. Is there a chance that the former sixth-man of the year is best utilized off the bench, though?
Nate and Nirav debate:
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Nate says starter
I feel very comfortable saying that starting Payton Pritchard is the right option. The numbers and fit make it an easy call to make.
He’s taken a leap in each of the last three seasons, and is now one of most balanced scoring guards in the NBA. That’s not an exaggeration, there’s almost no level of the floor where he’s not highly efficient. Among guards, Pritchard ranked in the 84th percentile at the rim, the 97th percentile in the short mid-range, and the 91st percentile at the line. With the 5th most 3PA per game at his position, he knocked down a solid 37.7% from distance.
This kind of shot profile is underutilized coming off the bench. The production is great, but the value is heightened when it’s built into the Celtics’ best lineup from the opening tip. With Pritchard as a starter, you’re focusing on getting off to a strong start, instead of needing a lift or change of pace from the bench.
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An understandable question to address is that if Pritchard was so effective off the bench, why not allow that to continue. The answer for me is about fit and lineup optimization.
As the team’s two most effective creators, Pritchard and Brown had some play style overlaps that benefited from both of them having an opportunity to lead their respective units. Pritchard’s output skyrocketed in every single category with Brown on the bench, and his role was muted when they shared the floor.
The net rating further supported the need to give them room to create. With both players on the floor, they had a respectable +6.6 net rating. With Brown and no Pritchard, it rose modestly to +7.0. With Pritchard and no Brown, it nearly doubled to +13.7.
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The historical data paints the same picture, as the numbers hold very true across their last five seasons together.
The team benefited…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/payton-pritchard-starter-sixth-man-100000059.html
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Publish date : 2026-09-07 10:00:00
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