In arguably the most shocking trade of this offseason, the Celtics traded former Finals MVP Jaylen Brown to the 76ers for Paul George. As a by-product, this leaves a large chunk of offensive production the Celtics now need to fill, which is where Payton Pritchard can shine.
Brown this past season averaged 28.7 points per game, 21.7 field goal attempts per game, and a usage percentage of 36.2 percent. While it’s highly unlikely that Pritchard will average 25 or more points per game this upcoming season.
There is still a big part of offensive output missing with the departure of Brown. While most of the offensive responsibility will fall on Jayson Tatum’s shoulders, he can’t eat up all of Brown’s production. For more NBA breakdowns check out this article by us here.
Payton Pritchard Has Already Proven He Can Handle A Bigger Role
Boston Celtics’ Sam Hauser, from left, Payton Pritchard and Nikola Vucevic react during the first half of Game 4 against the Philadelphia 76ers in a first-round NBA playoff series Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
This is where Payton Pritchard comes into the equation; he showed even last season that he could handle a larger offensive workload next to another star creator. During the first 62 games Tatum missed this past season, Pritchard averaged 16.8 points per game, 5.3 assists per game, and 1.3 turnovers per game.
Along with shooting splits of 46 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from three on 7.1 three-point attempts per game, and had a true shooting percentage of 57.7 percent. Pritchard did all of this while handling a usage percentage of 21.3 percent. Ranking fourth on the team among players who played at least 33 games with the team up to that point in the season.
Pritchard Thrived Without Jaylen Brown On the Floor
Pritchard also showed during this past season that, in minutes without Brown on the floor, he could scale up into more usage while even improving his efficiency. In 1,665 minutes alongside Brown, the one-time Sixth Man of the Year winner averaged 16.8 points per game and 5.3 assists per game.
Alongside shooting splits of 36.1 percent on three-pointers and a true shooting percentage of 56.6 percent. During the 861 minutes with Brown off the floor, Pritchard produced 26.7 points per game and 7.6 assists per game.
Accompanied by shooting splits of 39.9 percent on three-pointers and a true shooting percentage of 60.6 percent. Without the former five-time All-Star on the floor, he also raised his free throw attempts, free throw rate, and plus-minus.
Pritchard’s Self-Creation Improvement Could Fuel A Breakout
Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) celebrates after hitting a 3-point basket during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Pritchard has shown he can be an efficient self-creator while raising his shot attempts in this metric. In his first five seasons in the league, Pritchard never shot over 5.1 creation true shot attempts.
Placing him anywhere from the 17th to 51st percentile in this category, either below or slightly above average marks. This past season, Pritchard recorded a career high in this category with 9.3 creation true shot attempts, ranking in the 66th percentile.
This accomplishment also came with him reaching his fourth-highest creation true and relative shooting percentage. Pritchard ended this past season with a 54.9 percent true shooting and +2.7 relative true shooting. Ranking in the 77th and 78th percentiles for this metric.
End Of Payton Pritchard Breakout Year Rant
Payton Pritchard simply has grown the more opportunities he’s received in each season of his career. While being an efficient off-ball player at high volume for the majority of his time in the NBA.
When you combine that with his improvement as an on-ball player and Boston’s need for another self-creator outside of Tatum, Pritchard is primed to have a breakout season. On averages of 20 to 23 points per game, seven assists per game, and 58 to 61 percent true shooting.
