SB Nation Reacts: #2 Option P?

CLEVELAND, OHIO – OCTOBER 08: Jayson Tatum #0 and Payton Pritchard #11 of the Boston Celtics sit on the bench during the first quarter of a preseason game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena on October 08, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Celtics are deep. Really deep.

Heading into Opening Night, there’s a possibility that Mike Conley who started fifteen games last year in Minnesota may not even see the floor. Ron Harper Jr. signed a three-year contract over the summer and he might be the odd man out. Fifteen points and six rebounds a night over the preseason? That may not be enough for Luka Garza to get off the bench in Detroit next week.

As the poll results suggest, playing time and pecking order don’t really matter because “the vibes are good.” But we asked anyway, “who will be the Celtics’ second leading scorer” presumably behind Jayson Tatum?

Conventional wisdom suggests that veterans Derrick White and Paul George would pick up the mantle of being Robin to JT’s Batman. That might still happen, but our readers resoundingly voted for Payton Pritchard to be the #2.

Here’s reader ldrpr on Pritchard and the potential non-scoring roles for White and George and how that opens the door for PP:

I clicked on “Doesn’t matter, vibes are good” but I agree it’s likely PP, not only because he’s a talented scorer but also because I expect PG & DW will be more focused on being all-around “contributes to winning” players than on scoring.

So far in the preseason, the former Sixth Man of the Year has returned to the bench with head coach Joe Mazzulla opting to start the more complementary Jordan Walsh. There’s no guarantee that that’s what it will look like on October 21 against the Pistons, but for now, Pritchard becomes the designated scorer of the second unit.

After a 4-0 preseason and Pritchard falling into a familiar role, Our friends at…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/sb-nation-reacts-2-option-080000615.html

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Publish date : 2026-10-17 08:00:00

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