In the middle of the fourth quarter of the Celtics’ blowout of the Trail Blazers on Sunday, Payton Pritchard received a transition pass that allowed him to go for a breakaway. With a 10-point advantage, Boston was in complete control and there was no defense in front of him.
The TD Garden crowd sent out a soft cheer as they anticipated PP to score a basket. From the sidelines, his comrades cheered him on. Rather, Pritchard played with a low key and ended the game with 20 points and 8 assists, putting on yet another solid showing during what has been perhaps the best three weeks of his career.
After the game, Jaylen Brown said to Abby Chin of NBC Sports Boston, “Payton be talking all the trash about all that bounce he got and how athletic he is…he had a perfect opportunity right there and we seen what he did.” “I’ll make fun of him for it, but Payton is a big guy. It’s wonderful to see him performing well at this time.
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It’s not like Pritchard has never dazzled before. After a strong rookie year in which he scored 92 points in a Pacific Northwest Pro-Am, he lit up Summer League, but it’s been his consistent progress that has now caught people’s attention. Pritchard’s increased role with the Celtics and his impressive performance at Team USA practices last August are confirming Payton’s theory that he can play if given the opportunity.
Regarding Pritchard’s mentality during the season, head coach Joe Mazzulla stated, “In the NBA, when you have a clear-cut role and you have expectations and you have stuff that you can just build and build and build on, it makes the environment easy to just continue to learn and get better.”
As the fourth guard in a rotation that also includes Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon, and Derrick White, Pritchard didn’t play much last year after helping the team reach the Finals in his sophomore season. He expressed openly during the trade deadline that he was looking for a trade out of Boston in order to get more playing time.
As an alternative, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday were successfully traded for Smart and Brogdon. Pritchard got the chance he was hoping for with those deals and a $30 million, four-year agreement.
He has also developed as a player, saying things like, ‘I just won’t be defined by this. I can influence the game by pressing the ball, grabbing defensive and offensive rebounds, and quickening the pace during transitions,” Mazzulla said. “That’s important for us because he takes pride in situational basketball and in finding ways to influence the game.”
Pritchard views the current state of affairs as the scenario. Pritchard has been playing some of his best basketball of the past three weeks, but more significantly, he is in the best period of his career with the playoffs approaching. He has been the lone Celtic to play in all twelve games since March 17th. In over 30 minutes a game, he averages 14.3 points (on 40.3% shooting from outside the arc) and 6 assists (with less than one turnover).
“He competes at the greatest levels every time he sets foot on the floor. Before tip-off, Mazzulla remarked, “I’ve really enjoyed watching him grow as a player and as a leader.”
Pritchard has evolved into the customary sixth man for the Celtics if Al Horford is their “sixth starter,” acting as a defensive threat, game manager, and streaky scorer.
