Pritchard is not yet ready to run the offense

[td450]

Players have to develop strategies to create space. At every level you move up, it gets harder. A select few like Jaylen Brown can just blow by people even in the NBA, but the majority of players have to learn a better set of techniques at each level, and remap how they read and make plays, always having to do things a little quicker and better.

Pritchard is always going to be bottom 10% athletically, but he is crazy skilled, and he may work out how to play against elite players who are far more athletic and body him up. There have been a number of guys without athleticism who have figured this out even in the NBA over the years, but it ain't easy.

This takes reps. He wasn't asked to do this much last year. Mitchell has NBA all-defense potential. I wouldn't bet against him in the long run.

[sgrogan]

Players have to develop strategies to create space. At every level you move up, it gets harder. A select few like Jaylen Brown can just blow by people even in the NBA, but the majority of players have to learn a better set of techniques at each level, and remap how they read and make plays, always having to do things a little quicker and better.

Pritchard is always going to be bottom 10% athletically, but he is crazy skilled, and he may work out how to play against elite players who are far more athletic and body him up. There have been a number of guys without athleticism who have figured this out even in the NBA over the years, but it ain't easy.

This takes reps. He wasn't asked to do this much last year. Mitchell has NBA all-defense potential. I wouldn't bet against him in the long run.

I doubt in a real game Mitchell would be guarding Pritchard much. He would have a tougher match up.
Pritchard also has the ability to "create space" by shooting from very deep. A little like Seth Curry. Not my favorite but if they go in at a high clip...

[td450]

Players have to develop strategies to create space. At every level you move up, it gets harder. A select few like Jaylen Brown can just blow by people even in the NBA, but the majority of players have to learn a better set of techniques at each level, and remap how they read and make plays, always having to do things a little quicker and better.

Pritchard is always going to be bottom 10% athletically, but he is crazy skilled, and he may work out how to play against elite players who are far more athletic and body him up. There have been a number of guys without athleticism who have figured this out even in the NBA over the years, but it ain't easy.

This takes reps. He wasn't asked to do this much last year. Mitchell has NBA all-defense potential. I wouldn't bet against him in the long run.

I doubt in a real game Mitchell would be guarding Pritchard much. He would have a tougher match up.
Pritchard also has the ability to "create space" by shooting from very deep. A little like Seth Curry. Not my favorite but if they go in at a high clip...

Yes, I agree. If you look at his role last year, he wasn't the one going out there breaking the defense, or if he was, it was against backups in regular season games. His role was to hit 3's when someone else distorted the defense.

But, if he ever wants to start as a point guard in the NBA that won't be good enough, and that's kind of the point of this thread. He is not yet ready to run the offense.

[tonydelk]

This is a funny thread. Here's what I saw. 

I saw a lot of turnovers because PP made a good pass and they went through the hands of his teammate.  I saw 3 assists he should have had in the 1st half. 

His shot was short and he was gassed. 

Davion Mitchell showed he can be an elite D player.  He will struggle against taller guards but he may be a good one if he can improve his shot.

The C's looked tired.  Romeo would have helped against that team.

Every NBA player will have off nights.  No one is a superstar every game.  Mitchell is definitely a tough matchup for PP but if you insert PP with the C's varsity squad and Mitchell with the Kinds Varsity squad there would be a different outcome.  The PNR with Rob and Al setting screens would be a lot better then what PP got out of his team yesterday. 

PP is fine unless you are expecting him to develop into more then a solid shooter/PG off the bench.

[sgrogan]

Players have to develop strategies to create space. At every level you move up, it gets harder. A select few like Jaylen Brown can just blow by people even in the NBA, but the majority of players have to learn a better set of techniques at each level, and remap how they read and make plays, always having to do things a little quicker and better.

Pritchard is always going to be bottom 10% athletically, but he is crazy skilled, and he may work out how to play against elite players who are far more athletic and body him up. There have been a number of guys without athleticism who have figured this out even in the NBA over the years, but it ain't easy.

This takes reps. He wasn't asked to do this much last year. Mitchell has NBA all-defense potential. I wouldn't bet against him in the long run.

I doubt in a real game Mitchell would be guarding Pritchard much. He would have a tougher match up.
Pritchard also has the ability to "create space" by shooting from very deep. A little like Seth Curry. Not my favorite but if they go in at a high clip...

Yes, I agree. If you look at his role last year, he wasn't the one going out there breaking the defense, or if he was, it was against backups in regular season games. His role was to hit 3's when someone else distorted the defense.

But, if he ever wants to start as a point guard in the NBA that won't be good enough, and that's kind of the point of this thread. He is not yet ready to run the offense.

Fair enough. Maybe then, he will never be ready. "Anything is possible" but I don't think that is who Pritchard is. I think he has skills to be a productive NBA player in the right circumstances,.

[footey]

Davion Mitchell was 3 for 12.  I guess this means Payton Pritchard is an elite defender.

The amount of piling on re PP is too much. Guy had an extraordinary summer league where he showed true PG talent, and had one bad outing vs a team that targeted him, and his teammates didn't step up.  Kid was a solid A for me.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Davion Mitchell was 3 for 12.  I guess this means Payton Pritchard is an elite defender.

The amount of piling on re PP is too much. Guy had an extraordinary summer league where he showed true PG talent, and had one bad outing vs a team that targeted him, and his teammates didn't step up.  Kid was a solid A for me.

This is the problem with discussion threads. I’m not piling on him. I like him, but I also am taking a measured approach about what he can offer a playoff team. He’s not a starter and I’m not sure he ever will be. That’s fine. He’s still proving he can be a rotation player, even if he is a flawed one come playoff time that will get targeted.

[Celtics2021]

Davion Mitchell was 3 for 12.  I guess this means Payton Pritchard is an elite defender.

The amount of piling on re PP is too much. Guy had an extraordinary summer league where he showed true PG talent, and had one bad outing vs a team that targeted him, and his teammates didn't step up.  Kid was a solid A for me.

This is the problem with discussion threads. I’m not piling on him. I like him, but I also am taking a measured approach about what he can offer a playoff team. He’s not a starter and I’m not sure he ever will be. That’s fine. He’s still proving he can be a rotation player, even if he is a flawed one come playoff time that will get targeted.

I think that’s a very narrow view of being a playoff starter.  Seth Curry is a pretty similar player to Pritchard, albeit it better considering he’s got 7 years more experience, and he just started and excelled for Philly.  A future version of Pritchard that improves a bit more could be a starter on some playoff teams, but likely not all.

[A Future of Stevens]

I am optimistic that Pritchard can help run the offense when Jaylen and Jayson are not on the floor. Should he start for us next year? Most likely not. Should we expect him to contribute offensively to our rotation while trying 100% on defense while he is out there? Yes.

Our guard rotation this year of Schroeder/Smart/Pritchard should be a position of strength this year. Defensively that unit is a lot better than last year. If they can approximate 80% of Kemba's production offensively, we are in good shape.

[Who]

When I think of Pritchard as a starter this season, I do not consider him there for being the best individual PG but for helping balance the squad / rotation.

I like the idea of keeping Schroder as a super sub if possible. If he Schroder starts, I do not view either of Smart or Josh Richardson as ideal backcourt mates because of how much they need to touch the ball (along with Tatum, Jaylen, Horford). So getting a lower usage (time on the ball, shot attempts) player out there looks a good option. When we look at that option that leaves two main candidates - Pritchard or Nesmith.

If we start Smart at PG and use Schroder as a backup PG, then where does Pritchard fit? I don't want him at SG. I do not like the idea of a super small backcourt of Schroder & Pritchard. I feel Smart as to play SG this year in order to get both Schroder and Pritchard on the court at their best position.

So for me it is not about Pritchard being the best player, it is about allowing the best rotation / roster balance. Just because he starts (if he starts) does not mean he plays big minutes. He could play 20mpg as a starter. Same as bench minutes. Just with the roles reversed with Schroder to allow Schroder give the bench some scoring boost & to give Tatum and Jaylen some minutes away from Schroder allowing them more time and opportunities with the ball.

[gouki88]

These criticisms of Pritchard seem to speak more to his ability to become a star level player rather than his ability to be a quality player whether as a starter or bench player.

Being able to create off the dribble against anyone and everyone is something you expect out of high level creators. To have a player who can shoot as well as Pritchard who can also create off the bounce at this level is an All-NBA level player.

The expectations here seem all out of whack for what should be expected of a solid starter. Yes, you get some less dribble penetration from Pritchard than other guards but you get more shooting ability. It is a trade-off. With Schroder you get dribble penetration but not shooting. It is a trade-off. It is why neither are stars. They are both role players who offer differing skill-sets.

What you look for in a player like Pritchard is less dribble penetration and individual creation and more towards strong decision making, avoiding turnovers, moving the basketball, hitting open shots, taking advantage of help defenses when star players draw attention (all stuff that he does btw). Not creating one-on-one.

I agree. If Pritchard could get to the rim at will with his handle he'd essentially be a Kyrie Irving type force

[Kiorrik]

These criticisms of Pritchard seem to speak more to his ability to become a star level player rather than his ability to be a quality player whether as a starter or bench player.

Being able to create off the dribble against anyone and everyone is something you expect out of high level creators. To have a player who can shoot as well as Pritchard who can also create off the bounce at this level is an All-NBA level player.

The expectations here seem all out of whack for what should be expected of a solid starter. Yes, you get some less dribble penetration from Pritchard than other guards but you get more shooting ability. It is a trade-off. With Schroder you get dribble penetration but not shooting. It is a trade-off. It is why neither are stars. They are both role players who offer differing skill-sets.

What you look for in a player like Pritchard is less dribble penetration and individual creation and more towards strong decision making, avoiding turnovers, moving the basketball, hitting open shots, taking advantage of help defenses when star players draw attention (all stuff that he does btw). Not creating one-on-one.

I agree. If Pritchard could get to the rim at will with his handle he'd essentially be a Kyrie Irving type force

Honestly, like any shooter, he gets streaky. He's shown in real NBA games he can heat up and provide some scoring off the bench.

Turns out, like any role/2nd/3rd-string player, he's got one or two deficiencies!

To be fair, on a lesser team, he might potentially start?

It's fine. He's still my second favourite player to watch and root for

[gouki88]

These criticisms of Pritchard seem to speak more to his ability to become a star level player rather than his ability to be a quality player whether as a starter or bench player.

Being able to create off the dribble against anyone and everyone is something you expect out of high level creators. To have a player who can shoot as well as Pritchard who can also create off the bounce at this level is an All-NBA level player.

The expectations here seem all out of whack for what should be expected of a solid starter. Yes, you get some less dribble penetration from Pritchard than other guards but you get more shooting ability. It is a trade-off. With Schroder you get dribble penetration but not shooting. It is a trade-off. It is why neither are stars. They are both role players who offer differing skill-sets.

What you look for in a player like Pritchard is less dribble penetration and individual creation and more towards strong decision making, avoiding turnovers, moving the basketball, hitting open shots, taking advantage of help defenses when star players draw attention (all stuff that he does btw). Not creating one-on-one.

I agree. If Pritchard could get to the rim at will with his handle he'd essentially be a Kyrie Irving type force

Honestly, like any shooter, he gets streaky. He's shown in real NBA games he can heat up and provide some scoring off the bench.

Turns out, like any role/2nd/3rd-string player, he's got one or two deficiencies!

To be fair, on a lesser team, he might potentially start?

It's fine. He's still my second favourite player to watch and root for

Indeed. Of course he's flawed. But he's earning $2,137,440, $2,239,200 and $4,037,278 over the next three seasons. For what he provides off the bench with his scoring and shooting, that's a bargain.

Patty Mills was providing similar for the Spurs (slightly more production) and was on a 4/50 contract. Per-possession and per-minute their numbers are incredibly comparable. Difference is PP was a rookie in his early 20s, Mills was in his early 30s.

[Muzzy66]

I think Pritchard is an incredible player but at his height just doesn’t have the physical freakish ability on the level of these best players in the world to create separation. I’m not sure where that leaves him. Always be an nba player but also never gonna be a 6 man of the year candidate either. All the props in the works to him though. Dribbling drills s^^^^^^^^ck!!!! Not fun. Amazing handle.

Kyle Lowry has simiar physical limitations (limited explosiveness, lack of height / length) and has been a star PG in the league for years.  I don't see much in the way of talent / skills that a young Kyle Lowry had that Pritchard doesnt. The fact that he depends more on skill and IQ and less on physical gifts also means his game will probably age well.  Not saying I expect him to ever become as good as Lowry, but I think he's got the potential to be good starter / one-step-below-all-star calibre PG in this league for a very long time.  I also think he has the toughness and work ethic to realise that potential.