Payton Pritchard’s immense leap from an underutilized end-of-the-bench backup guard to a difference-maker final season in Boston did not miss a beat as soon as the Celtics picked up the place they left off to start their preseason in Abu Dhabi.
Pritchard led all scorers in Boston’s 107-103 preseason-opening win over Denver — the primary of two Celtics-Nuggets matchups scheduled within the Center East this weekend — with 21 factors 4 rebounds and 6 assists. The scrappy 26-year-old shot 6-of-13 from the sphere, connecting on six 3-pointers in 24 minutes off the bench, serving to Boston rally again from a double-digit deficit within the second half to come back away victoriously.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla did not play the premier starters — Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Vacation and Derrick White — past the primary half, which allowed Pritchard to showcase his offseason work as the first ball handler on Friday. He wasted no time doing so both, scoring 14 factors within the first half of play.
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“Getting extra constant off the dribble from the three-ball,” Pritchard advised reporters postgame, per NBC Sports activities Boston. “I believed my ending and my mid-range sport final yr took an enormous soar so I believed that was actually good. Clearly, I am at all times engaged on that stuff but when I might be extra environment friendly capturing off the dribble from there, in addition to the catch and shoot, that completes my sport. After which defensively simply discovering methods to being higher at taking costs, getting extra fingers on balls, steals and stuff like that. So, if I could make a soar simply preserve bettering as a participant.”
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By the point Pritchard had reached 14 factors halfway by way of the second quarter, the Celtics had shot 4-for-23 from past the arc. Nonetheless, Pritchard, who was 4-for-6 on the time, by no means held the ball discouraged — he even linked on a deep step-back three close to the middle court docket emblem over Denver’s Spencer Jones.
Two seasons in the past, Pritchard had doubts about his future in Boston after logging a career-low 13.4 minutes throughout 48 appearances — additionally a profession low. Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens alleviated Pritchard’s considerations by giving the Oregon product a four-year, $30 million contract, taking an opportunity on him earlier than getting a chance to show himself price it. Pritchard, like Friday in Abu Dhabi, aggressively capitalized on the prospect to carry out with prolonged minutes. However Pritchard is not accomplished, even with a payday, an NBA Finals ring, and a task promotion in Boston.
Pritchard spent the offseason working to raise much more. He notched career-high marks in factors (9.6), rebounds (3.2), assists (3.4) and field-goal proportion (46.8%), and even led the Celtics with a 4.61 assist-to-turnover ratio — rating twentieth within the NBA. Pritchard performed in every of Boston’s 82 common season video games, drained an all-time memorable half-court heave in Sport 5 of the Finals and is positioned for an additional profession yr with a locker room that is misplaced solely two gamers (Oshae Brissett and Svi Mykhailiuk).
Nonetheless, Pritchard’s assured hustler mentality that made him a fan favourite in Boston and led Stevens to entrust him, stays part of him.
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“I am making an attempt to make a soar,” Pritchard advised Evan Turner on the “Level Ahead” podcast in August. “I feel for me, I’ve at all times been an individual that is by no means been a purpose setter making an attempt to win these awards or something like that as a result of that is out of my management. For me, if I could make a soar in sure areas, offensively and turn out to be much more environment friendly in several elements of the sport. My coaches have talked about it, with the ability to shoot off the dribble at the next clip — like step-backs and stuff.”
