Through his first two seasons as a pro, Payton Prichard has shown a ton of promise when given the opportunity. In his six starts throughout his first two years, Pritchard has averaged 10.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists.
This past summer, Pritchard made a lot of noise ahead of his Sophomore season.
In the Las Vegas Summer League, the Portland native showed he did not belong at the event. He put up 20.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 8.7 assists, and 2.0 steals while shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 57.7 from three.
Pritchard even ended up taking a detour from Vegas to drop 92 points in a Pro-Am game, proving he was more than ready for an increased role with the Celtics.
Payton Pritchard thriving in backup role for Boston Celtics
While all of this was happening, Boston signed Dennis Schröder to play behind Marcus Smart, leaving Pritchard’s role as a question mark. His spot heading into the season was rather uncertain, but the numbers he had just put up were promising.
Although he didn’t get many chances at the start of the season, the Celtics cleaned house at the trade deadline, shipping out Schröder and Josh Richardson. This minimized their rotation, as Ime Udoka has chosen to roll with mainly Derrick White, Grant Williams, and Daniel Theis at times.
But the important thing to note is that these transactions allowed Pritchard to slide into the role that he so clearly belongs in.
Pritchard has averaged nine 9.3 points while shooting 55.0 percent from the field and 54.4 percent from deep in 16.7 minutes of play over his last 10 contests. During the Celtics’ West Coast trip last week, Pritchard didn’t miss a shot in Sacramento and Denver, going 11-of-11 from the field and 9-of-9 from three.
The 24-year-old thrived on that West Coast trip, averaging 14.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and a steal while shooting 64.1 percent from the field and 63.3 from distance in 20 minutes per game.
When Pritchard is on the floor with Boston’s top lineup, he has shown the ability to play as an off-ball shooter, too. This has helped space the floor for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, which will be a crucial goal for the Celtics moving forward.
Since entering the league, Payton Pritchard has always played with a swagger and confidence, as if he were a veteran who has already played in the biggest of moments.
The Boston Celtics are the hottest team in the NBA and are playing incredible basketball. They have finally found the right role for their second-year point guard, and now both parties are in the best position possible to succeed.