In the midst of a breakout season, Payton Pritchard is providing value to a Celtics team fighting against the NBA luxury tax
Pritchard is proving he has what it takes to be a starting point guard in the NBA, and is under a team-friendly contract until 2028.
COMMENTARY
Payton Pritchard gained national recognition in 2023 thanks to his uncanny ability to hit half-court heaves to steal three points for the Celtics at the end of a quarter.
But in 2024-25, Pritchard is proving he’s far more valuable than a two-second inbounding play. The young guard is the current betting favorite to win the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award, and every Celtics teammate seems to understand just how dominant Pritchard can be when playing an increased role.
“I think Payton’s been excellent. He’s been great, and that’s what we need,” Jaylen Brown said following a Nov. 13 win over the Nets (Pritchard went for 23 points, eight assists and six rebounds that game). “He’s been a superstar in his role. … Now it’s kind of expected, because he’s done it so much.”
Joe Mazzulla added on the same night that Pritchard is a true two-way player and that he’s “playing at a high, high level for us right now.”
Fellow guard Jrue Holiday also called Pritchard one of the toughest Celtics to guard on the entire team, and even noted Mazzulla has a defensive drill dedicated to guarding the shifty Pritchard one-on-one full court.
“Payton’s cold, bro,” Holiday said.
Even during last season’s playoffs, Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum took notice of how special Pritchard was.
“Payton is one of the most confident guys I’ve ever been around,” Tatum said back in April. “He walks out there like he’s the best player … and we need him to be like that.”
A common theme Boston’s players shared: they need Pritchard.
And that couldn’t be more true. For a Boston team with so much talent, but filled with some uncertainty for the future, Pritchard’s breakout season comes at a perfect time.
The Celtics are operating well above the NBA’s salary cap, and for the second straight season are in the second apron of the luxury tax.
Under the new CBA agreed upon by the NBA and the NBPA in 2023, there are much harsher penalties for teams in and above the second apron of the luxury tax. Teams at that level are not allowed to acquire a player in a “sign-and-trade” deal. They cannot include cash in a trade, either. Future first round picks become frozen and cannot be traded away.
All of these measures will make it more difficult for the Celtics to operate comfortably in the free agent market. And this has already shown up in one instance ahead of this season. Boston was interested in Lonnie Walker IV, but couldn’t justify adding him to the roster under its current restraints. Even if signed to his $2 million contract, a tax multiplier caused by Boston being over the cap would have given Walker a hit of over $10 million on the books.
Further and harsher punishments would also be on the horizon for Boston if it elects to remain in the second apron through the end of the 2025-26 season: Namely, an NBA team in the second apron for three out of five seasons will have its first round pick automatically be moved to the end of the round.
“The different basketball penalties that will be associated with being above the second apron, those are real,” Boston general manager Brad Stevens told The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach prior to the season opener. “We’ll just have to weigh those against where we are as a basketball team.”
The Celtics are already backed into a corner with the salary cap and in other ways financially. On top of that, the team is currently up for sale, and potential buyers may not be keen on losing so much money because of the luxury tax.
“[We] have to weigh the financial part of that,” Stevens said. “And I’m sure a part of that will be a discussion amongst whoever the new investors are.”
So, though nobody can say for sure exactly when — other than potentially the Celtics themselves — one thing is clear: Boston’s current roster is unsustainable.
At some point, Boston will need to shed salary cap. It’s possible to keep this group in its entirety through 2024-25. But at some point at least one trade is likely before the end of the 2025-26 season.
“[We’ll] continue this thing as long as we can continue this thing,” Stevens said.
So, what makes Pritchard increasingly valuable to the Celtics now? His team-friendly contract which keeps him tied to Boston through the 2027-28 season for just over $7 million per year.
Pritchard has yet to start a game this season because Boston’s backcourt of Derrick White and Holiday is so strong. Yet, his stats to begin the season are at the very least formidable to Holiday’s, and they’re actually better in some key offensive categories.
Pritchard is averaging 16.2 points per game on 42.7 percent shooting from three, and an overall field goal percentage of 47.6. Holiday is playing more minutes but is only averaging 12.8 points. His field goal percentage is slightly higher at 48.4, but his three-point percentage (36.4 percent) is significantly lower.
And though Pritchard doesn’t match the same defensive intensity that his counterparts in Holiday and White do, he’s been effective in his own way on the defensive end. Pritchard is even second on the team in steals per game (1.1) behind Jayson Tatum.
Among point guards league-wide, Pritchard is 16th in efficiency rating, per ESPN’s Hollinger statistics. He trails behind White (12th) and is ahead of other major players like Tyrese Haliburton, Chris Paul, Tyrese Maxey, Jamal Murray, and Holiday.
Pritchard is outperforming other starting point guards all while playing fewer minutes than most any of them. His 28.2 minutes per game are the third-lowest among the top-20 rated guards.
In short, Pritchard has proved — albeit through a small sample size — that he can handle the responsibility of being an every day starting point guard. And if Stevens gets to the point where he must trim money at the guard position, he’ll no longer need to shudder at that thought, knowing Pritchard can plug into a larger role seemingly at a moments notice.
Boston had little trouble winning one NBA Championship in 2023-24 with this lineup. But to build the dynasty that it hopes to, a player like Pritchard, valued far beyond his $7 million salary, could be the hidden key to unlocking sustained postseason excellence for the Celtics.
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