Over halfway into the season, the Boston Celtics find themselves sitting at second in the Eastern Conference with a record of 28-17. They’ve set high standards for themselves by consistently sitting at or near the top over the past decade, but this year is different. Prior to the start of the season, the basketball world was debating whether they would be tanking for a top pick, or if they would somehow find themselves fighting for a play-in spot.
There’s still a lot of season left, so Boston may not be able to maintain their position throughout. There’s no doubt that tanking has always been out of the question for a team with championship DNA, though. The Celtics play to win, plain and simple. Soon enough they may also be getting a top-5 player in the league back on the court, which should make winning a little easier.
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That doesn’t mean we should lose sight of the people who have carried them this far. There is plenty of praise and credit to go around, from Joe Mazzulla and the coaching staff who have prepared the players, to Jaylen Brown who has shouldered a lot of the load during an MVP-level season, to the young guns who are making the most of every opportunity, and everyone in between.
Of course, there are two guys who may be getting slightly overlooked at the moment: Derrick White and Payton Pritchard. Fans were expecting a huge jump from both in terms of offensive production, but the stats haven’t exactly backed that up so far. That being said, they provide a whole lot more than the numbers could never capture.
Let’s start with the bad. Derrick only saw an increase of 1.2 points per game (PPG) while his efficiency took a big hit, 38.8% on field goals (FG%) and 32.1% on threes (3P%). The FG% is a career low for Derrick, and a steep drop-off from the 44.2% he was shooting last year. Similarly, the 3P% is the second lowest of his career, and another big drop from last year’s 38.4% from range.
Payton has been more efficient than Derrick, but he’s been having some struggles of his own. His FG% sits at 45% at this point in the season, which isn’t bad, but is his lowest mark of the past three years, down from his 47.2% from last year. The real struggles are coming from behind the arc for Pritchard, 34.4% from three, a career low, and far below his 40.7% from last year.
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And as far as the bad goes, well, that’s just about it. Once you look past the efficiency, Derrick White is averaging career highs in every major statistical category: 17.6 PPG, 5.4 assists per game (APG), 4.6 rebounds per game (RPG), 1.3 steals per game (SPG), and 1.5 blocks per game (BPG). Payton is averaging career highs in points (16.7 PPG), rebounds (4.4 RPG), and assists (5.4 APG), while being just 0.1 steals per game and 0.1 blocks per game off of career highs in those categories as well, though neither have ever been his strong suit, 0.8 SPG and 0.1 BPG this season.
If we listen to Joe Mazzulla and take a step further out, things look even better. After a solid win against the Pacers, Joe had this to say about the two of them: “Those are always two guys that – they’re not defined by shot making… It’s not just the stats with them. They’re always doing the intangibles, and they always give us a chance to win.”
Joe couldn’t be more right. With how young the Celtics are this year, strong leadership makes a world of a difference. When you see Derrick taking charges, opening himself up to poster opportunities, challenging guards and centers alike at the rim, and giving his all on every possession no matter which side of the ball he’s on, how could you not be inspired? So much of this team’s identity is their grit, which the young guys embody night in and night out – but it always starts with Derrick.
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As for Payton, he currently ranks as the most efficient isolation scorer in the NBA, yet the ball never sticks with him. He does a masterful job of controlling the pace of the offense, whether that’s creating opportunities for himself or others. He increased his APG average by nearly 1.9, and is currently tied with Derrick in leading Boston in that category. Pritchard has always been an undersized guard as well, but still does a great job holding his own on defense, and is tied for fourth on the team in rebounds per game despite being the shortest one on the court more often than not.
Boston’s starting backcourt plays with incredible poise, averaging less than 3 turnovers combined. Pritchard even has the highest assist to turnover ratio in the league, 4.74, and set the franchise record this season for most 20+ point games without a turnover at 13. They are one of the big reasons why Jaylen can play as great as he has this season, and why the Celtics are as competitive as they are.
Going back to the Pacers game, Derrick earned a lot of praise that day. Joe added on to his previous comments, saying this about White: “He’s not defined by shooting efficiency. I think, to me, that’s a bonus… I just think it’s hard to recognize all the other stuff and it’s easy just to notice the shooting.”
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Before the game even started, Rick Carlisle, head coach of the Pacers, started off his presser by saying that White should be an All-Star before he was even asked a question. Jaylen Brown had a lengthy answer after the game echoing the sentiment, and added on that Derrick should be a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year as well. Neemias Queta got in on the love circle by calling White a “Swiss Army Knife.”
Like Joe said, it’s easy to get caught up in the shooting numbers, but the impact Derrick and Payton make on a game is immeasurable. It’s clear that their teammates feel the effects. Stats may not lie, but they don’t tell the whole story. At the end of the day, Boston can always like their chances when those two are on the court.
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