Celtics Beat Podcast | Episode 614

How Payton Pritchard Can Carve Out Postseason Role w/ Jared Weiss
Date: March 7, 2025
Host: Adam Kaufman, with Evan Valenti
Guest: Jared Weiss (The Athletic)

Episode Overview

This episode of Celtics Beat dives into the emergence of Payton Pritchard as a crucial postseason option for the Boston Celtics. Host Adam Kaufman and co-host Evan Valenti welcome back Jared Weiss of The Athletic to break down recent performances, analyze postseason rotation possibilities, and discuss the wider state of the Celtics as they prepare for a challenging schedule and playoff push. Special attention is paid to Pritchard's evolution, Derrick White's sustained excellence, the team's health concerns (especially for Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis), and Jalen Brown's growth as a playmaker.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Historic Pritchard & White Performance (03:07–06:15)

• Main Theme: The Celtics recently saw Payton Pritchard and Derrick White both score 40+ points in the same game—a first in franchise history.

  • Adam Kaufman (03:07):
    “I was floored, genuinely shocked when Payton Pritchard and Derrick White became the first ever Celtics teammates to put up 40 plus in the same game... the fact that it has never, at least had never ever before happened in Celtics history, that a pair of teammates scored 40 plus in the same game... My God. What. I mean, what. What a tour de force.”

• Jared Weiss highlights the incredible shooting display:

  • “Pritchard has 10 threes through three quarters. He needs one more to tie Marcus Smart's record... He went 0-for-1 from deep in the fourth quarter and he said, I'll get another shot at it, you know, I'm going to play the right way. And I thought that was really impressive...” (04:28)
  • On Pritchard: “As much of a scorer as he's become, he kind of looks at shooting as a secondary option to playmaking...” (05:35)

• Evan Valenti celebrates Pritchard's attitude and confidence:

  • “There's a great quote in there about how he doesn't care about half court heaves. And if you care about half court heaves affecting your shot percentage, you're a loser. And I was like, yes, I love this guy.” (06:15)

2. Sixth Man of the Year Debate (07:20–10:24)

• Evan and Adam float Pritchard as the favorite for Sixth Man of the Year.
• Jared points out the unique value Pritchard offers compared to other candidates like Malik Beasley and De’Andre Hunter.
  • “If you watch this team in the first half of the season, he was coming off the bench and basically saving their asses. Like he, he won them like five games on his own early on... Pritchard is kind of the heart and soul of this team now in a way that's really rare for sixth men.” (07:53)
• Discussion: Pritchard has not started a game this season, reinforcing the purity of his reserve role.

3. Pritchard's Postseason Prospects (11:11–14:40)

• Concern: Pritchard's ability to stay on the floor defensively in the playoffs.
• Jared Weiss praises Pritchard’s massive strides as a playmaker and improved downhill speed, noting his effectiveness against most NBA defenses.
  • “His ability to hit the pocket over a screen or even beat people off the dribble... he has enough speed that he's able to get downhill now, and that's pretty new.” (12:18)
  • “His ball pressure is always really impressive. Teams that are going to force him into a switch where they can shoot over him... I think the Celtics will just live with that until it becomes like too problematic…” (13:42)
• Conclusion: Weiss expects Pritchard to maintain a real rotation role in the postseason thanks to his improved offense and hustle.

4. Derrick White: Consistency & Appreciation (17:25–23:37)

• Adam lauds Derrick White’s reliability and questions if he's underappreciated nationally.

  • “He is not more often than not going to have an off game... double digits in points, a few rebounds, a couple assists... Just the consistency Derrick White brings.” (19:04)

• Jared:

  • “I think he’s properly appreciated. He’s looked at as a fringe all-star. He's the team's third best player. I think it’s pretty solidified now. And I think what's maybe helped that is that Jrue Holiday has been hurt this entire year...” (20:23)
  • “Every team in the NBA knows Derrick White's a great player. Every player in the NBA knows it. They all talk, especially coaches will talk about him with great reverence.” (21:12)

• Notable Stats Shared by Evan (22:12):

  • “In clutch time, Derrick White is 11-17 from the field, 10-16 from 3 point range, which is good for a 94.25 true shooting percentage in clutch time. Basically, Derrick White's been absolute nails this year...”

5. Holiday, Shooting, and Rotational Decisions (23:37–26:06)

• Derrick White vs. Jrue Holiday:
  • Jared: “Missoula is going to hit a tricky part of their playoff run where he's going to have to decide: do I roll with Jrue even though his shooting is off... or do I go with Pritchard, who... will give me more reliable shooting?... White has been good enough this year that at least you're comfortable knowing they do have one combo guard who can do almost everything.” (23:37)
• Offensive Holes: Celtics lack last year's “no holes” shooting lineup, especially with Jrue's declining shooting.
• East Matchups: Celtics may not require Jrue’s elite defense until later rounds.

6. Health Concerns for the Stretch Run (26:06–29:49)

• Main Players: Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.

• Adam: “There's going to be health management... especially with Jalen Brunson probably going to miss a couple of weeks... So, you know, they're going to be the two.” (26:06)

• Jared expresses real concern:

  • “If you have all these guys playing great, including Jrue, including Porzingis, I probably would give the Celtics the ever so slightest edge as being the best team in the league, just ahead of OKC in Cleveland. But that's not the reality and we have to operate based on reality... we just don't have reason to believe right now that Jrue and KP will be 100%...” (27:46)
  • “You can't win a series against the Thunder without Holiday playing, like, incredibly on defense. Like, you absolutely need it. And he's the guy for Shai.” (29:49)

• Western Conference Outlook: OKC is seen as slightly stronger than the Cavs due to their depth and net rating; Jrue's health is seen as pivotal to Celtics’ title defense.

7. Jalen Brown’s Playmaking Growth (32:39–36:40)

• Adam reflects:
  • “First couple three years of his career... assists per game... 1.6, 1.4, 2.1... last handful of years, 3.4, 3.5, 3.5, 3.6. This year, 4.8. Jalen Brown is essentially averaging five assists per game.” (34:00)
• Jared’s analysis:
  • “Jalen was a bad playmaker for a long time. It wasn't doubt, it was a very accurate assessment of reality. Jalen had to grow... Joe kind of gave him the right opportunities… and he finally was kind of growing in that direction.” (34:00)
  • “I think more of his turnovers are more of the open floor playmaking type of turnover, which is great because that's a sign of playmaking. So I think he's done a great job of overhauling his types of attacks…” (35:02)
• New Assist-to-Turnover High:
  • Adam: “1.8 assist to turnover ratio this year, 1.5 last year. Most years... less than one or marginally above one. So, one and a half, 1.8, on the verge of two—note worthy.” (36:40)

8. Upcoming Schedule and Matchups (37:45–38:14)

• Upcoming Tests: Celtics’ schedule highlights include the Lakers, Mavericks (Luka), and OKC—all potential Finals preview matchups.
• Evan: “Litmus test game, I mean... cough the defending champions... is the finals preview a litmus test? Two finals previews?” (37:47)
• Jared: “Yeah, I would say so.” (37:52)

Notable Quotes

• Jared Weiss on Pritchard’s Mindset:

  “He was like, whatever, I’ll do it again at some point. That’s the kind of confidence that guy has. And I thought that really spoke volumes.” (05:45)

• Evan Valenti on Pritchard:

  “This guy’s on a heater right now. I made the joke that tan Pritchard—top 5 basketball player in the league because he came back from the All-Star break from Turks and Caicos and just tore it up.” (06:15)

• Jared on team heartbeat:

  “Pritchard is kind of the heart and soul of this team now in a way that's really rare for sixth men.” (07:53)

• Derrick White’s Clutch Numbers (Evan):

  “In clutch time, Derrick White is 11-17 from the field, 10-16 from 3... 94.25 true shooting percentage in clutch time. Basically, Derrick White's been absolute nails this year...” (22:12)

• Jared on Celtics' title hopes:

  "You can’t win a series against the Thunder without Holiday playing, like, incredibly on defense. Like, you absolutely need it. And he’s the guy for Shai.” (29:49)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Pritchard & White’s Historic Night: 03:07–06:15
• Sixth Man Debate: 07:20–10:24
• Pritchard in the Playoffs: 11:11–14:40
• Derrick White’s Value & National Perception: 17:25–23:37
• Holiday/Pritchard Playoff Rotation: 23:37–26:06
• Health & Stretch Run Worries: 26:06–29:49
• Jalen Brown’s Playmaking Leap: 32:39–36:40
• Upcoming Schedule (Finals Previews): 37:45–38:14

Tone and Takeaways

This episode smartly blends fan enthusiasm with sharp analysis and light banter. Jared Weiss brings a keen X’s and O’s lens, Evan jokes and riffs on the players’ personal quirks, and Adam keeps the discussion grounded on team context, stats, and larger Celtics themes. Anyone who listens (or just reads this summary) will:

• Appreciate how much Pritchard has improved his playmaking—and value to the rotation.
• Recognize that while the Celtics look like contenders, health and postseason matchups (specifically vs. OKC and Cleveland) are real potential stumbling blocks.
• Understand how Derrick White and Jalen Brown’s games have matured to fill gaps, both statistically and on-court.

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