The Boston Celtics turbulent start to the season has created questions surrounding the reigning Sixth Man of the Year: Payton Pritchard. Can he handle the burden of scoring for a Celtics team missing their best scorer? Will his size hold back the offense or create unfavorable mismatches on defense? Missing Jayson Tatum has proved to be difficult in the opening week of the season for the C’s. The typical scoring of more than 25 points per game from Tatum is not a simple equation to solve.
Pritchard had a great 2024-25 season, boasting a career high of 14.3 points per game on nearly 11 shot attempts per game, and deserved to receive the award. Although he is coming off a career year, it is not so simple to plug a role player into a superstar’s role on this team. His play-style and size create unfavorable mismatches for Boston. However, a new member of the Boston Celtics may be able to carry this burden. Enter Anfernee Simons.
Are The Boston Celtics Making a Mistake Starting Payton Pritchard?
With no timeline for Tatum’s return this season, Boston finds itself in dire need of production on the offensive side of the ball. Fortunately, Simons has the potential to fill this void. However, the Celtics may be wasting the 26-year-old’s talents by having him come off the bench.
Pritchard already knows the Celtics’ system. But he is an undersized guard at 6 feet tall, which can create unfavorable mismatches on defense. Simons may not be a stellar defensive player, but his size, at 6-foot-3 inches, and offensive scoring make up for that weakness. Simons’ style of play and efficiency from the three-point line make him a threat to the opposition and a necessity in the starting unit.
Pritchard proved himself to be an incredibly effective spark off the bench, thus earning him the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award last season. His energy and end-of-quarter miraculous three-point shooting not only helped win him an award in 2025 but helped the Celtics win the NBA Championship in 2024. Pritchard is undoubtedly one piece essential to Boston’s success. However, Simons has proven himself as a starting point guard in this league and fits that role at a higher level than Pritchard.
Who is Anfernee Simons?
Simons is entering his eighth NBA season after opening his career with the Portland Trail Blazers. The franchise drafted him with the 24th pick of the 2018 draft. He had to battle for minutes in his earlier years since one of the league’s best point guards, Damian Lillard, was leading the team at the time. The Trail Blazers, after trading Lillard to Milwaukee, became the Anfernee Simons show. He went on to be a very productive scoring guard for the team.
Simons is a career 15-point-per-game scorer with his best years coming most recently (averaging 20+ points in two of the previous three seasons), and shooting better than 36% from three-point range every year following his sophomore season in the league. Learning from Lillard, Simons developed his three-point shot and his ability to drive to the basket, making layups like pregame warmups. Suffice it to say, scoring is not an issue for him.
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