Celtics stock watch: Payton Pritchard, Grant Williams on the rise after strong preseason performances

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2021/10/celtics-stock-watch-payton-pritchard-grant-williams-on-the-rise-after-strong-preseason-performances.html



Celtics stock watch: Payton Pritchard, Grant Williams on the rise after strong preseason performances



Updated: 11:50 a.m. | Published: 11:50 a.m.




Boston Celtics' Payton Pritchard plays against the Toronto Raptors during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)AP



By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com



Investigating the highs and lows for the Boston Celtics after the team’s second week of training camp and second straight preseason win over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night.


STOCK UP

Grant Williams: The third-year forward is coming off a disappointing season in 2020-21 with a limited offensive output and consistent struggles in avoiding foul trouble (one of highest fouls per 36 minutes rates in NBA). There has been increased competition in Boston’s frontcourt in camp but Williams is making a strong case for regular minutes out of the gate. He’s surprised in his first two preseason games, posting 7.5 points per game despite playing just over 12 minutes in each contest. A big part of that has been his focus on offseason improvement according to new head coach Ime Udoka.


“When we talked in the summer when I got hired,” Udoka explained. “He reached out to me and asked what I was looking for coming into the season and some of those things were being in shape, being able to guard and shooting the ball, improving his shot. Against us in Philadelphia a few years ago in the playoffs, he was really a big piece for them defensively at the small ball five. Then the way he shot the ball took us out of some coverages there numbers-wise.

“I don’t think he was as good last year from 3, but those are the things I stress with him. It starts with your shot, decision making and then being able to guard. So he’s taken that to heart and you could see he looks better physically overall and it’s translated to what he’s done in camp.”


The other part of Udoka’s new defensive gameplan that favors Williams’ stock is the team’s focus on switching defensively. Williams has the strength to handle true bigs but also is far more mobile than most of Boston’s bigs on the roster, which could translate into more looks.

“Well he’s not a traditional big and some of the things we are doing defensively, I think that helps him guarding, moving his feet a little bit better,” Udoka said.

If Williams can keep teams honest with his jumpshot and improve his finishing around the basket, he’s looking like a frontrunner for backup forward minutes despite the acquisition of Juancho Hernangomez.


Payton Pritchard: Outside of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, no player has put up more 3-point shots per game this preseason than the second-year guard. He’s embraced his sharpshooting role and his extended range while knocking down 46.2 percent of his 3s during the first two preseason game on 13 attempts, giving Udoka a valuable spacing option in the backcourt.

Brad Stevens did well to shore up the team’s backup defensive backcourt with Josh Richardson and Dennis Schroder this offseason but Pritchard’s rotation spot looks as secure as ever with his high volume 3-point shooting. It’s reached a point that Udoka is eager to find ways to get Pritchard on the floor while giving up potential size advantages as the preseason continues.

“Another thing we’ve talked about that’s worked well in practice, and we want to see if it can translate to the games, would be Dennis and Payton playing together at times,” Udoka said. “Two playmakers and obviously Payton’s shooting ability. We want to see at times if we can get away with that smaller lineup, especially at the guard spot. So we’re looking at all those things in the preseason and we’ll look at some of those lineups in these last two games.”

With the improvement to his passing (five assists per game leads the team this preseason) sticking out as well, the late first round pick in 2020 continues to look like a potential steal.


Al Horford: The six months of rest that Horford dating back to March in Oklahoma City is paying dividends in the early days of the preseason. Horford at age 35 is resembling the player during the end of his Celtics tenure, no longer an All-Star but a versatile big that makes the possibility of a double big lineup a realistic possibility.


“I think with Al’s strength and some of the versatility he has, you can get away with it,” Udoka said. “There are still teams that play double bigs, and then teams that try to downsize with small ball fours, whether it’s  P.J. Tucker, there are guys he can actually guard and do well with. But also offensively he complements Rob very well -  one guy can pick and pop and mix it up, and Rob is more of a roller there. When Al was in the pick-and-roll (Saturday) and Rob was in the dunker spot, I thought they worked really well together. We will stagger them as well, but Al brings a lot to the table. I don’t think it’s as much of a problem as people seem to think, playing two bigs.”

Horford has turned into a more willing perimeter shooter over the past two seasons and that has already translated with his eight attempts over the first two preseasons games from beyond the arc. He’s not looking to battle in the paint much anymore at this age (barring a mismatch) so his embrace of the jump shot is crucial on a team that lacks other bigs with a reliable outside touch.


STOCK DOWN

Enes Kanter: The path towards playing time for the veteran big man looked promising at the start of camp with the revelation that Udoka was leaning towards playing two bigs in the starting lineup. However, the emergence of some young talent on the roster and a switching defensive scheme is not good news for the 28-year-old Kanter. He’s one of the worst defensive centers in the NBA when defending the pick-and-roll and is not going to be able to hang with any smaller players on the perimeter after switches, which will force Udoka to adjust his scheme whenever he’s in the game.


The question is whether Kanter’s offensive output and rebounding will be strong enough to justify that defensive drop-off. The early signs this preseason are not encouraging on that front. Kanter has made just 25 percent of his shots (mostly from close range) and his lack of perimeter range will limit spacing when he’s on the floor. Given his deal is a short-term one, Kanter looks more like an option in case of injury or matching up with a strong big rather than a rotation staple entering the year.


Turnovers: Udoka wants his new team to play fast this year but that hasn’t translated well on the ball handling front. The team has coughed 36 turnovers over their first two preseason games, with some incredibly sloppy passing in portions of games (particularly from new point guard Marcus Smart).


“Two games in a row we’ve been a little sloppy now but we’re happy with the effort and what they’re trying to do,” Udoka said Sunday. “It’s just a matter of execution now. That’s something I’ve preached from Day One, effort and execution, so we can clean those up, get more looks. Obviously, we’re scoring enough. It’s just taking care of the ball now.”

The Celtics have a host of ball-handling options on their roster now in Smart, Dennis Schroder and Payton Pritchard but all of those guys historically have high turnover rates for point guards. With the added responsibility on the shoulders of those guys from setting the table for Boston’s offense, better decision making and discipline will be required since the Celtics don’t have the scoring firepower to make up for those miscues.



Bob


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