Author Topic: Does Payton fit Brad's version of an NBA ballhandler/wing?  (Read 4355 times)

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Does Payton fit Brad's version of an NBA ballhandler/wing?
« on: September 01, 2023, 01:53:18 PM »

Offline otherdave

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Payton Pritchard was the last 1st round pick Danny Ainge made for Boston. At 6'1" per ESPN roster, some have said that PP is a shooting guard in a point guard's body.  I remember Brad saying once that "Boston wants to play fast and tall".  Since Brad became President here are the players whom he has acquired that will be on this year's roster:

S Hauser     6ft 7 inches
L Kornet      7.2
A Hortford   6.9
D White      6.4
M Brogdon  6.4

and this summer's additions:

KP          7 foot 3 inches
J Walsh      6.7
O Brissett   6.7
D Banton    6.7
S Mykhailiuk   6.7

My take away is:  if you want to be on the bottom half of Brad's roster you need to be tall-ish (and have some skills of course!).

I would not be surprised if PP gets some run this year and then gets traded at deadline for 2 second round picks if he is playing efficiently on offense, (remember if Boston is over the 2nd apron next summer they can't send out players in a sign and trade the way they did with Grant this summer).  I just can't see Brad signing PP to a long term second contract in the summer of 2024.  But that's just me....

Thoughts??


Re: Does Payton fit Brad's version of an NBA ballhandler/wing?
« Reply #1 on: September 01, 2023, 02:33:27 PM »

Offline Goldstar88

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I like Payton, but I don’t think he’s someone Brad is particularly high on for the reasons you just listed. Stevens likes players that can switch on defense and Pritchard doesn’t fit the bill.
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Re: Does Payton fit Brad's version of an NBA ballhandler/wing?
« Reply #2 on: September 01, 2023, 02:36:26 PM »

Offline Surferdad

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Other undersized ballhandling guards from the Ainge era:
Carson Edwards
Tremont Waters
Kemba Walker
Kyrie Irving
Isaiah Thomas

Terry Rozier
Shane Larkin
Demetrius Jackson

There is a difference in approach between Danny and Brad in how they go about building a team.

Re: Does Payton fit Brad's version of an NBA ballhandler/wing?
« Reply #3 on: September 01, 2023, 05:12:16 PM »

Offline nyceltsfan

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I like Payton, but I don’t think he’s someone Brad is particularly high on for the reasons you just listed. Stevens likes players that can switch on defense and Pritchard doesn’t fit the bill.
I understand that Brad likes to switch and Mazzula has followed suit.  However, with KP joining the team, would it be better to have actual positional defensive assignments and to play some zone?  It seems odd that regardless of personnel, we continue to play the same way.  We should be using our height to our advantage this coming season.

Re: Does Payton fit Brad's version of an NBA ballhandler/wing?
« Reply #4 on: September 02, 2023, 08:14:38 AM »

Offline Big333223

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With Brogdon's health concerns, Pritchard is likely going to be the first PG off the bench for a bunch of the season. I doubt he's going anywhere, even if he doesn't have the size Brad seems to be after.
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Re: Does Payton fit Brad's version of an NBA ballhandler/wing?
« Reply #5 on: September 03, 2023, 12:22:43 PM »

Offline ozgod

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I don’t think he can fill a wing role defensively. Offensively he’s a good enough shooter that I think he could. I think they have him plugged in as a ball handler. Brogdon and White are ball handlers who can handle that wing role both offensively and defensively if Joe wants to go small.
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Re: Does Payton fit Brad's version of an NBA ballhandler/wing?
« Reply #6 on: September 04, 2023, 06:08:33 PM »

Offline obnoxiousmime

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I think the best-case for Pritchard was that he became a backup, offense first PG who made up for his lack of size with hustle on defense. The second-best scenario is that he become a microwave-type scorer and ballhandler but not someone actually asked to initiate the offense or anything like that. The first role means he gets consistent playing time, but the second one means his playtime fluctuates more depending on how hot he is and the defensive matchups that night.

One of the disappointing parts of his career so far is that even though he's clearly giving full effort on D, it doesn't translate to a significant defensive impact. By my eye he doesn't have a long wingspan in addition to being short, so it's just hard for him to bother his man. You would think he could be a pest and sneaky effective at pressuring ballhandlers, but it's just not the case. Then of course he can get taken out by screens easily and he doesn't have the reach to bother anybody's shot.

The other disappointing thing is his size and ballhandling ability ideally fits him into the backup PG role but he seems to naturally want to be a scoring guard. That would be fine if he could score consistently, but the problem is he doesn't have the elite athleticism that most successful short guards have. He can't just blow by people and get a good look whenever he wants. Sometimes you'll see him dribble into a bad possession because he simply can't create enough separation to get his shot off. At that point you're faced with a dilemma of a guy's physical profile and skillset not fitting an established role. The question then becomes, is he elite enough at certain things so that you live with the shortcomings? So far, the answer has been no.

The obvious thing he could improve is his shooting numbers, which took a dip last season. He really needs to be an elite shooter to make up for his weaknesses. The other thing that realistically could improve is his PG skills, but that would require actual playing time and development. Even then, there's a cap on how effective he could be as a primary ballhandler due to the aforementioned lack of size/athleticism. When teams actually gameplan for him in the playoffs, he's just constantly being trapped and challenged to effectively pass out of it. He can't always do that due to his lack of size and inability to blowby or split the defenders. At that point what can you do? Play him as a off ball guard? But then your team is way too small because you probably need to play another guard next to him. That's the main problem, in a nutshell.

One of the few saving graces is he's always giving full effort. That's going to help you during the regular season and he'll often come up with an effort offensive rebound or two between three much taller but surprised defenders. He can change a game with his energy or if he's hot from 3, especially against bad/average NBA bench units. However, there's just a limit to how effective he can be in the playoffs when it really comes down to whether or not you have an exploitable, fatal flaw in your game.