Former NBA veterans Brandon Jennings and Rashad McCants appeared to agree with the statement that Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard is a better player than Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves.
In a discussion about the players, McCants appeared to say, “Payton Pritchard better.”
From there, Jennings was asked if he believes the Celtics guard is better to which he nodded his head in agreement.
“But also, I said that Austin Reaves is better than Bradley Beal,” McCants said.
Jennings added to that sentiment as well.
“He’s a better third option than Bradley Beal right now,” Jennings said. “I mean, well, he has been all year. I gotta give Austin Reaves that.”
Jennings and McCants were then asked by Gilbert Arenas about the different roles between Reaves and Pritchard since the Celtics guard currently spends most of his time coming off the bench.
“I say that based on the talent and the opportunity that Austin Reaves has with the Lakers, if Pritchard had the same type of opportunity,” McCants said.
Jennings chimed in about Pritchard’s exploits when he was given a chance to start this season, supporting McCants’ point.
“I mean, he had 40 as a starter,” Jennings said. “So we see what he can do in the starting lineup.”
It’s an interesting conversation between these former NBA players, especially since the Lakers and Celtics are both teams that could contend for a title this season.
Reaves is averaging 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game this season while shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from 3.
He’s been able to step up as a lead option when LeBron James or Luka Doncic has been out of the lineup, and Reaves is actually averaging 27.9 points, 8.3 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game in nine games without James in the 2024-25 campaign.
Pritchard may not get as many touches as Reaves since he is playing behind players like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday when Boston is fully healthy.
Still, the former first-round pick is averaging 14.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game this season while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 41.8 percent from 3. He should have a chance to win the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award.
Ultimately, it’s hard to judge whether or not Pritchard could consistently produce numbers similar to or better than Reaves’ if given the same opportunity. For now, Lakers fans have to be happy with how well Reaves has played, especially since the Lakers seem poised to make some noise in the playoffs.
Los Angeles is currently the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference.
