Predicting Celtics' Breakout Players for 2023-24 NBA Season
The Boston Celtics have perhaps assembled the NBA's strongest top six heading into the 2023-24 season.
It's a group that, frankly, is too accomplished to include any breakout candidates. Sure, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown could conceivably get better, but you're talking about, respectively, an MVP candidate and an All-Star. There just isn't much higher they can climb.
That's not at all the case for the following three role players, though, whom Boston needs a breakout effort from.
Sam Hauser
1 of 3
Hauser spent his first NBA season parlaying a two-way pact into a standard contract. In year two, the task was establishing himself as a rotation regular.
Boston is banking on continued growth from the 6'8" sharpshooter. If he doesn't have another leap in him, this wing rotation could prove problematically thin.
The Celtics, though, think there might be more to his game, and they could be right. He is already a great shooter (career 42 percent from range), but he could be a more productive one by improving his off-ball movement. Even if all he would accomplish is driving attention away from Boston's stars, that would still qualify as a big win for the Shamrocks.
The hope, though, is that Hauser could add some inside-the-arc utility, too. Defenses will always close hard on him, so a one- or two-dribble pull-up could be quite the counter punch. He could also leverage his long-distance threat by cutting behind defenders who hug a little too close to him on the perimeter.
Luke Kornet
2 of 3
The Celtics have big plans for Kornet this season.
"[The backup center rotation] starts with Luke," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters. "I thought Luke really did a great job last year, and I think he's an underrated player. And I don't think people realize how effective he is."
If casual fans know Kornet's name, it's probably for his unorthodox (but effective), miles-away shot contests, but he's more than a meme generator. He is a skilled 7'2", 250-pounder with shooting touch, passing ability and shot-blocking prowess.
While he only logged 11.7 minutes last season, he could conceivably have a chance to double that number (or come close to doubling it, at least) this time around. Boston's backup bigs could be called upon early and often with Al Horford on the wrong side of 37 and Kristaps Porziņģis having a lengthy injury history.
Payton Pritchard
3 of 3
Pritchard has been (not so patiently) been waiting for this moment.
Previously stuck behind a crowded backcourt, he has a real chance to soak up significant minutes for the first time following the offseason subtractions of Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon. Moreover, Pritchard knows he has the trust of the franchise behind him after recently inking a four-year, $30 million extension.
Opportunity is clearly knocking, and if the preseason is any indication, Pritchard is answering. Through the Celtics' first two preseason tilts, he was averaging a team-best 23.5 points on 55.2/45.5/100 shooting. He was also second on the team in assists (4.5, against 2.5 turnovers) and tied for the lead in steals (2.0).
These supplemental stats are highly encouraging, because Boston needs him to be more than an undersized shooting specialist. If he proves he can run an offense and contribute anything of substance on defense, he could be one of the Celtics' top reserves.
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