Are the Celtics Turning Their Season Around Because of Two Players?

The Boston Celtics have spent the early part of the season searching for consistency, and that search may finally be pointing in the right direction. While Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown remain the engines of the offense, the recent surge in production from Payton Pritchard and Derrick White has given Boston something it desperately needed. Both guards struggled through uneven stretches to open the season, especially from three, but the tide has shifted dramatically over the past few games. Pritchard has rediscovered the rhythm that once made him one of the league’s most confident shooters, highlighted by a standout performance against the Clippers where he knocked down multiple threes and controlled the pace for the second unit. White, known for his steady two-way presence, has begun hitting shots with the efficiency Boston relied on throughout last season. When both guards are scoring with confidence, Boston’s offense looks fluid, balanced, and much more difficult to defend.

That improvement was on full display on Sunday afternoon in a 121-118 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, where the duo delivered their best combined three-point shooting performance of the season. White knocked down four of eight attempts, showcasing the rhythm and confidence that made him one of Boston’s most reliable perimeter threats last year. Pritchard was even more electric, sinking eight of thirteen shots from beyond the arc and bringing a burst of energy to the floor every time he checked in. Performances like this stretch opposing defenses and force them to respect Boston’s guards in a way they did not earlier in the season. As a result, driving lanes open, ball movement improves, and the Celtics regain the offensive identity that makes them so difficult to contain. When both guards find their range, Boston becomes significantly more dynamic on both ends of the court.

This kind of resurgence from the guard position is exactly what Boston needed to regain traction in the standings. The Celtics rely heavily on spacing and ball movement within Joe Mazzulla’s system, and both elements suffer when the guards are cold. With Pritchard and White back in rhythm, Boston suddenly looks sharper, more energetic, and closer to the title contender many expected them to be. When the Celtics scored a few wins after a shaky start into the season, Jaylen Brown fans that it was still too early to tell whether the team had turned a corner, emphasizing that Boston had more to prove before making any declarations. Even so, the recent signs are encouraging. When two guards can reshape the pace, flow, and confidence of an entire roster, it becomes clear just how important they are. The Celtics may not be all the way back yet, but they are certainly trending upward, and they owe much of that momentum to the resurgence of these two players.