The Boston Celtics actually did it. After weeks of speculation, the C’s finally dealt Jaylen Brown, with the Philadelphia 76ers becoming his new home. In exchange for Brown, Boston received Paul George, in addition to two first-round picks and two second-round picks. To say the return was underwhelming would be an understatement.
Regardless, Boston has nowhere to move but forward, and it now must begin planning for life without Brown. While more moves are certainly on the horizon for this team, it sounds like the Celtics may have big plans for one unheralded player who is already on their roster: Payton Pritchard.
Celtics Have High Hopes for Payton Pritchard Now that Jaylen Brown is Gone
Even without considering the lackluster return, losing Brown is a big loss for the Celtics. He is fresh off the best individual season of his career (28.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 5.1 APG, 47.7 FG%), and while concerns about his long-term fit alongside Jayson Tatum existed, that’s a lot of production that is going to have to be replaced.
Sure, the team will have Tatum back for what hopefully ends up being the majority of the 2026-27 campaign, but he can’t do everything on his own. That’s where a guy like Pritchard could end up making a bigger impact. We already saw Pritchard take another step forward last season (17 PPG, 5.2 APG, 3.9 RPG, 46.4 FG%), and he figures to have more on-ball responsibilities with Brown no longer in town.
Over the past few years, we have witnessed Jalen Brunson emerge from the shadow of Luka Doncic to become a superstar in his own right with the New York Knicks. While Brown didn’t necessarily limit Pritchard’s ability to become a star himself, it sounds like the team is banking on him making a similar leap now that the 2024 NBA Finals MVP has found a new home.
“The Celtics trading Brown is a bet that Pritchard is their in-house version of New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, a diminutive player who didn’t fully show his talents until Luka Dončić was out of the picture,” Tom Haberstroh of Yahoo Sports reported.
Could Payton Pritchard Break Out for the Celtics Moving Forward?
GettyPayton Pritchard #11 of the Boston Celtics
Similar to Brunson, Pritchard is an undersized guard who is incredibly efficient on offense, but has concerns surrounding him on the defensive side of the ball. And yet, Pritchard has frequently showcased his tenacity on defense throughout his career, and the Knicks just proved that you can win a title with an undersized guard being the face of your team.
Pritchard averaged a career-high 32.4 minutes per game last season, but it feels like even more minutes will be coming his way now. If he takes on a bigger role as the team’s primary point guard, it’s fair to assume he could help the C’s piece together some of Brown’s lost production. He certainly won’t be able to do that all on his own, but don’t be surprised if Pritchard manages to take another step forward for Boston this upcoming year.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Celtics Reportedly Send Strong Payton Pritchard Message with Jaylen Brown Trade appeared first on HEAVY.