There has been plenty of discourse recently about whether or not the Celtics are lacking guard depth. As things stand, they have Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, and Mike Conley as true point guard options on the team. White has started recently, but can also play shooting guard easily enough, while Pritchard has come off the bench but is more of a natural with the ball in his hands.

A big part of the logic behind the team trading Jaylen Brown was giving Pritchard more usage, which likely means adding him to the starting lineup as well. The other concern is that Conley is rapidly aging, and there’s a chance he’s not really in the rotation this year, more there for veteran leadership and locker room presence.

Do the Celtics need another guard?

That leaves a bit of a hole on the bench in terms of ball-handling and has been a cause for some concern. But fear not, the solution to these issues is, and always has been, even more Point Tatum. Call him whatever position you want; Jayson Tatum is the team’s best ball-handler, passer, playmaker, and yes, point guard.

And if you’re one of those fans who doesn’t like it when Tatum brings the ball up, and you want him to play as more of a true forward, oh boy, do I have a stat for you. Over the past three seasons, among every player in the NBA who has brought the ball up on at least 1,000 half-court possessions, Tatum has produced the highest points per possession in the entire league.

Here’s a look league-wide https://t.co/KeWv00kynw pic.twitter.com/PxfvQHb8oG

— ALL NBA Podcast (@ALLCITY_NBA) September 10, 2026

Brown, White, and Pritchard all have higher volume in that time, but Tatum has produced the most efficiently, by far. Guys like Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, and others are all looking up at JT, dreaming of having as high a PPP when bringing up the rock.

Tatum & Pritchard top-6 in points per possession bringing the ball up

Even better news for the Celtics? Pritchard is 6th in the NBA over the same span, behind only Tatum, Christian Braun, Jokic, Ty Jerome, and Jamal Murray. The Celtics have two of the most efficient and productive “point guards” in the league, and they are both set to get a major bump in usage this season.

Throw in all of the D-White-initiated possessions and the change-of-pace looks for Paul George, Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, and other role players, and frankly, it’s bizarre that anyone would even want to consider the idea of putting the ball in someone else’s hands.

This offseason has been all about emphasizing Tatum, Pritchard, and White, and the team and roster are now finally positioned to do that. It may not look like the most conventional trio of lead guards in the world, but in the modern NBA, it’s a perfect grouping, and the Celtics would be wise to lean into it as much as possible. Adding another guard to chew up possessions would only subtract from the equation.

Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow