DALLAS — Payton Pritchard will come off the bench for the first time this season when the Celtics face the Mavericks. Baylor Scheierman will take his place in the starting lineup.
Alongside Scheierman, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser, and Neemias Queta will start against the Mavericks.
The move comes just hours after Anfernee Simons was reportedly traded to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Nikola Vucevic. Vucevic has yet to join the Celtics.
Simons was averaging 14.2 points and shooting 39.5% from three for the Celtics.
Pritchard coming off the bench means that the Celtics’ second unit will have a primary shot creator in place of Simons, who didn’t miss a game all season for the Celtics. Pritchard has been the Celtics’ third-leading scorer this season, averaging 16.8 points and 5.3 assists. Last year, he excelled in a sixth-man role, averaging 14.3 points per game and shooting 40.7% from three.
Baylor Scheierman continues to get increased opportunities
Scheierman most recently started last Friday against the Sacramento Kings, and tallied 16 points on 6-10 shooting. On the season, he’s averaging 3.3 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. Scheierman is averaging 13.3 minutes per game and has started 4 games this season. He’s also shooting 41% from the three.
Joe Mazzulla has routinely praised Scheierman’s growth on the defensive end.
“His growth is more about his defensive versatility,” Mazzulla said last month. “He has the confidence to play on the offensive end… his continued growth in defensive physicality and in the system is where he’s built a level of trust.”
For the Mavericks, Max Christie, Nnaji Marshall, Caleb Martin, Daniel Gafford, and Cooper Flag will start.
