With Jrue Holiday traded away to Portland, a starting guard spot opens up in Boston next to Derrick White.
Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard is going to be handed that starting spot, which means Anfernee Simons would come off the bench as the sixth man, reports Grant Afseth at FastbreakJournal.com.
The Celtics believe Pritchard has earned the starting job through years of steady development. His familiarity with the system and readiness to handle expanded responsibilities have made him the preferred option to open games at point guard.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise, although Pritchard is going to have to solidify this in training camp (Simons may fit better with the other starters, such as Jaylen Brown). Pritchard averaged 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game while shooting 40.7% from beyond the arc last season, but in the three games he started those numbers jumped up to 21.7 points and 7.3 assists per game.
Simons should thrive in a sixth-man role where he is asked to come in and just get buckets. He averaged 19.3 points and 4.8 assists a game last season in Portland, shooting 36.3% from beyond the arc. This is a contract year for Simons (he’s on an expiring contract at $27.7 million), and he’ll be looking to put up numbers and raise his value for that next contract.
Could Simons make it back-to-back Sixth Men of the Year in Boston? It’s something to watch in what could be a crowded field this year.