The Boston Celtics made one of the biggest bets of the offseason, and it revolves around Payton Pritchard becoming their version of Jalen Brunson.
The entire league was shocked when Jaylen Brown was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, especially after Brown was coming off his best-ever NBA season. The Celtics were also hammered by the kind of return they got for Jaylen Brown as well.
But in hindsight, there might be another reason that the Celtics were comfortable making this kind of move.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Tom Haberstroh, the Celtics believe Pritchard has another level to reach if he’s given the freedom to take on a much larger offensive role, similar to how Brunson did after leaving Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
“The Celtics trading Brown is a bet that Pritchard is their in-house version of New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson.”
Before arriving in New York, Brunson was a productive role player with the Mavericks, averaging 11.9 points, 3.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds. But playing next to Luka Doncic naturally limited how much offensive responsibility he could have.
That changed when he arrived in New York to become their primary ball handler.
Since joining New York, Brunson has averaged 26.3 points and 6.8 assists while developing into a three-time All-Star, a three-time All-NBA Second Team selection, an NBA champion and Finals MVP who helped deliver the Knicks their first title in 53 years.
The Celtics are betting on Pritchard taking a similar path. And he’s already shown flashes.
In six NBA seasons, he has averaged 10.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists while winning both an NBA championship and the Sixth Man of the Year Award. Last season marked the best campaign of his career, as he averaged 17.0 points, 5.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 46.4% from the field and 37.7% from three-point range.
The advanced numbers make the argument even more interesting.
Haberstroh pointed out that Pritchard averaged 25.2 points, 7.0 assists and 4.8 rebounds in the 10 games Brown missed last season. Boston went 8-2 in those contests, while Pritchard shot 51.3% from the field and 44.4% from three.
That doesn’t automatically mean he’s about to become Brunson.
Whether that belief proves correct may determine how the Jaylen Brown trade will be remembered. If Pritchard really becomes the superstar the Celtics are hoping for, then the gamble would have worked. If he doesn’t, trading the 2024 Finals MVP in his prime will be one of the most heavily scrutinized moves in franchise history.
