The Boston Celtics’ bench has earned the nickname the “Stay-Ready Group” for the past two seasons. Simply put, being in the stay-ready group means you are prepared to go into the game at any time and make an impact.

The stay-ready group is headlined by the trio of Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and Luke Kornet. Nicknamed “Tres Leches” by NBA fans on social media, this trio will receive the majority of minutes off the bench from head coach Joe Mazzulla.

Pritchard, the frontrunner for Sixth Man of the Year, averages 14.1 points per game off the bench, shooting 47 percent from the field and  41 percent from three. Pritchard leads the league in scoring, most made threes, plus-minus and most 20-point games off the bench. The ability to have a player who could start for a handful of teams off the bench shows the depth of the Celtics.

Pritchard has stepped up his game this year. He was known for his three-point shooting for the majority of his career. The Oregon native has emerged as a player who can create his own shot, run the pick-and-roll, and hold his own defensively. Even at his size, Pritchard has become a menace on the glass, averaging the second-most offensive rebounds by a guard. 

“It’s funny to say this, but he’s actually a really good three-level scorer,” Mazzulla said. “He can shoot threes, he can shoot pull-ups, he can create enough space to get layups. He’s just a well-rounded basketball player.”

Just a few years ago, Pritchard wanted out of Boston to play more minutes, but now he is a fan favorite and has become one of the first players you give the ball to when the C’s need a bucket. Pritchard made some key threes and some spectacular buzzer-beaters last year in the playoffs. Come this playoff run, Pritchard’s offensive output will be important, especially when one of the starting guards is off their game.

Hauser is the most important wing off the bench for the Celtics. His three-point shooting has to be on point for the Celtics in the playoffs. In the playoffs last year, Hauser was a bit disappointing. His three-point percentage was at 42 percent and 2.5 made threes in the regular season, down to 38 percent and 1.4 threes in the playoffs. The Eastern Conference Finals was where Hauser struggled immensely from three and was picked on defense.

Entering this season, Hauser was dealing with back problems that affected his shot-making ability. It seemed signing Hauser to a 4-year,  $45 million contract was a mistake. However, Hauser has returned to being “Hausermatic” from three over the past two months. Seeing his three-point percentage soar back to over 41 percent.  Additionally, Hauser is one of the best pull-up shooters the Celtics have, with an effective field goal percentage of 63.7 percent. 

“We always believe the next one is going in,” Jayson Tatum said. “If Sam’s open or he’s not open, we always want him to be a threat, not necessarily shoot it every time, but we have so much confidence in Sam … he’s such a proven shooter and works really hard at his craft.”

Still, Hauser’s effectiveness in the playoffs will come down to whether he makes his threes. Defenses will still pick on him, and if he turns into a brick, you can consider Hauser redundant coming off the bench. When he is on it from three, Hauser’s threes can become the backbreaker for the opposition, trying to gain momentum in a game.

Kornet is another player from the bench who has improved so much this season. Listed at seven feet two, many Celtics fans have criticized Kornet for not playing to his size. This season, Kornet has seen an increase in scoring, rebounding, assists, and plus-minus. One way Kornet has unlocked the Celtics’ offense is by giving them extra possessions. Kornet has become a monster on the glass, having a 13.4 percent offensive rebounding percentage and leading the team with 2.6 offensive rebounds a game. 

The best usage of Kornet is in the pick-and-roll. He’s built a great two-man game with Jayson Tatum. The Tatum and Kornet pick-and-roll generates 1.33 points per possession, making them the second-best pick-and-roll duo in the NBA. Just above them is the duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets, who generate 1.34 points per possession. 

“Our connection on the pick-and-roll, we are in constant communication during the game and on off days,” Tatum said. “Luke just has a great feel for the game. He’s just a selfless player. He’s always looking to get me open, off the ball, on the ball, and I trust him so much.”

The Celtics have a simple formula: Tatum plus Kornet equals greatness. The vast amount of looks this two-man combination generates is what makes Celtics basketball its best. It can lead to many different points of scoring, such as a Tatum isolation score, or a Kornet roll to the basket for two. If the opposing team doubles Tatum off the pick, it leaves a wide-open Celtics player for three, which they terrorize teams with. When Tatum and Kornet are on the court together, they have a net rating of 15.8, one of the best on the team.

“Obviously with a player like [Tatum] they’re going to throw a lot of different looks at him, so trying to be on the same page … trying to read who’s involved in the screening action and therefore just being able to make the right play … honestly he makes it pretty easy [having] a lot of different ways that he can attack and score and a lot of different passes that he can make,” Kornet said.

Kornet has also been a great rim protector for the Celtics. Kornet ranks among the top ten players in the NBA in field goal percentage on shots within six feet, allowing 50.5 percent. Kristaps Porzingis ranks as the best, allowing 47.7 percent. Rim protection was a big weakness of the Celtics early on in the season, without Porzingis. Now, the Celtics have an elite rim-protecting duo. Especially, since Mazzulla has gone to double-big lineups to help defensively with Porzingis and Kornet generating a 99.7 defensive rating when they are on the floor together. 

The trio of Pritchard, Hauser, and Kornet has shown what they can do as individuals for the Celtics to win, but when the trio is on the floor together alongside Tatum, they are one of the best lineups Boston has to offer. A majority of games towards the end of the first and third quarter, Mazzulla puts out a lineup of Tatum, Pritchard, Hauser, Kornet, and one of the starting guards. When Derrick White is out there with these four players, they have a net rating of 27.5, and with Jrue Holiday, it increases to 38.3. Tatum and the bench minutes are crucial to playoff success, especially to end quarters strong, for when Tatum takes a seat on the bench to start the second and fourth quarters.

There are other players on the bench who could come in an impact on a game. Rookie Baylor Scheierman has looked effective in the minutes he’s been given over the past two months. Scheierman is known for his three-point shooting, but also has a great passing range that gives the Celtics a player to put in the game to help give the offense an impact scorer. 

Buyout market addition Torrey Craig has shown to be a nuisance on defense, who can guard the opposing team’s best players. His energy on the glass for rebounds can come in handy as well when the Celtics struggle to rebound the ball. Additionally, Craig has brought great enthusiasm to the bench.

Neemias Queta is another big the Celtics can look at to put in the game if one of their centers is out with an injury or in foul trouble. Queta has some good and bad spells coming off the bench for the C’s. With how much the Celtics like to run double big, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Queta be deployed to help out on the glass and for rim protection. Offensively, Quetta is best at the dunker position when he can post-up the opposing big or can be found cutting to the basket for easy dunks.

While it may not seem like it, a good bench can separate a team from being eliminated from the playoffs. Having players who can put up points coming off the bench can help ease the pressure from the starters. Fortunately, the Celtics have a deep one full of talented individuals who are ready to impact the game whenever they are told.

The stay-ready group may not win a series for the Celtics, but they can win them a game. There is going to be a night when people say that was the “Pritchard game” or “Kornet game.”  You need 16 wins to be crowned NBA champions, and any one of the players on the stay-ready group can make that happen. Along with one of the best starting fives in the league, and their glue guy, Al Horford, the Celtics are suited up to make history once again.