Pinson brought such huge energy but, more importantly, he was a terrific passer and rebounder tonight. I agree he jacked up an ill-advised 3, and he really always has, but they were giving him a lot of space with the zone and he made great decisions with the ball (other than that shot). He also drained one from the top of the key earlier.
Pinson is also a more versatile defender than Williams. On ball with a traditional two-guard, I think I go with Williams at this stage too (it's close though), but with Pinson in the game the switches are much easier and he can disrupt a small forward, allowing Jackson to essentially roam more and, critically, save some of his energy for the offensive end where he's needed.
All that said, I wouldn't start Pinson either. But he's a key piece to this team and played a tremendous game today. In 14 minutes he was 2-4 from the field, 2-4 from the line for 7 points. But he also had 5 rebounds (3 offensive), 5 assists and no turnovers. Williams, in 27 minutes, was 2-7 from the field (and the same percentage from 3 as Pinson at 33% but took 3 more) for six points (didn't make it to the line), 1 rebound, 4 assists and 2 steals. Williams played well, but I'd argue Pinson's minutes were more valuable tonight.
Crowd was great; this season at the Smith Center has been a fucking blast. Danny Ainge was there.