How the rookies fit with their teams and what it means for the NBA

Payton Pritchard is leading a pack of backup point guards

Point guards are a special thing in the 2020 draft class, especially point guards who are potential stars behind other star point guards and are destined to help their team.

Malachi Flynn and the Toronto Raptors are a perfect match. Flynn plays perfectly under the wing of Fred VanVleet and Kyle Lowry. He has a thing for scoring, which provides the Raptors with the right amount of lift in their need for depth.

Theo Maledon has emerged as a superstar with the Thunder behind a host of other star guards. Maledon is an overachiever with the Thunder, and he can only continue to be great at his own pace behind his leader teammate, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and the whole team that made some changes this offseason, which included acquiring veteran point guard George Hill. OKC is known for its guards, and have been since having the likes of Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Terrance Ferguson and Hamidou Diallo. They’re back with a whole new lineup, and Maledon, the 6’5” sharpshooter is a part of it.

Nothing says backup point guard more than the situation in Boston with Kemba Walker, and the Celtics draft pick Payton Pritchard has seemed to find a solution. Prichard is both the bench spark and backcourt depth the Celtics have been looking for with his ability to score. With so much at stake for the Celtics this season, it comes down to their depth and how well they play. With Walker still out, Pritchard will have the time to show more of his skills and how helpful they can be to Boston.

The point guards who were available during this draft should have stuck out to many teams, and thankfully it did at the right moment for Boston. Pritchard came out of the gate with a fire that Boston needs to continue on their journey in the east, especially against the all-star cast in Brooklyn and like they did against teams like the Heat. The Celtics have again given themselves a window of opportunity, and they are likely to jump right through it like they did last year with Pritchard.