The Boston Celtics are arguably the most loaded team in the NBA, but if Thanasis Antetokounmpo could take one player off the team, it’d be someone who has never even made an All-Star team, Payton Pritchard. On the Thanalysis Show, Antetokounmpo explained why he would take out Pritchard over the likes of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
“You told me tomorrow, you have one button and one of those guys won’t play against you ever again in the Celtics, that’s Payton Pritchard,” Antetokounmpo said. “I didn’t say Jaylen Brown. I didn’t say Jayson Tatum, I didn’t say Kristaps Porzingis, I didn’t say Jrue Holiday, I did not say Al Horford. I said Payton Pritchard.”
“When all of them don’t have it, they not feeling it, this is the guy who always does,” Antetokounmpo stated. “I am telling you, this guy is so so underrated. He’s a dog… I study the game, I see this guy playing 1-on-1 outside court. This guy has so much love for basketball. So, that’s dangerous.”
I agree with Antetokounmpo’s point about Pritchard being underrated. I don’t think he quite gets the respect he deserves.
That said, Antetokounmpo picking Pritchard as the player he would remove from the Celtics over Tatum, Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday is a bit absurd. They’re all All-NBA or All-Star caliber players and Pritchard isn’t anywhere near that caliber of a player. He is good, but let’s not get carried away here.
Pritchard is averaging 15.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.0 steals per game for the Celtics in 2024-25. The 26-year-old has excelled off the bench but there’s a reason he is a reserve. That reason is that he is not good enough to start for them.
If I had to pick someone to take off the Celtics, it would be Tatum, even with how well Brown has played since the playoffs last season. Tatum is averaging 28.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in 2024-25 and I’d like to think that almost everyone who plays against the Celtics would choose him as well.
Brian Scalabrine Made A Bold Claim About Payton Pritchard
I mentioned that Pritchard is underrated but he does have quite a few admirers in the basketball world, with former NBA player Brian Scalabrine being one. Scalabrine believes Pritchard would average 27 points and eight assists a game if made a full-time starter.
“They don’t know how good Payton Pritchard is. They think he’s just alright. When he gets a chance to start, that dude is going to get 27 and 8. You know how hard it is to get 27 and 8?”
“He had five games in a row where he had 20 points and 6 assists in the first half. That’s never been done by any Celtics ever. Remember, the starters got disrespected. What do you think the bench guys got last year? They got disrespected as well.”
Considering I know how hard it is to average 27 and eight, I’d say it’s unlikely Pritchard would put up those numbers. Do I think he could average 20-odd points? Sure, but 27 is a bit much.
We’re unlikely to know for sure how Pritchard fares as a starter for a while, though, as he seems content in this bench role. He has been causing havoc in it and will be in action next when the 19-4 Celtics take on the Memphis Grizzlies at TD Garden on Saturday at 8 PM ET.
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