It was all about incomes belief final season for Payton Pritchard, who after logging a career-low in minutes, factors, rebounds, assists, area objective proportion and 3-point proportion, signed a four-year, $30 million contract extension with the Boston Celtics.
The 26-year-old rose to the event in a large number of how when known as upon by head coach Joe Mazzulla. Pritchard led the Celtics with a 4.6 assist-to-turnover ratio, averaged a career-best 9.6 factors, sunk a memorable 49-foot half-court heave in Recreation 5 of the NBA Finals and have become a champion a 12 months after contemplating bidding Boston farewell. As a substitute, Pritchard found how a lot might change over the course of a 12 months.
Now a reigning champ, Pritchard isn’t getting hungover within the champagne, confetti rainstorm, parade or the 15-carat championship ring. Pritchard’s undergone the mountain climb in changing into entrusted, who isn’t simply the best reserve unit chief in Boston, however probably the most efficient off-the-bench weapons within the NBA in the present day. Simply eight video games into the season, a handful of groups have endured the Pritchard expertise.
“A lot to say (about Pritchard),” Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee mentioned final Friday, per CLNS Media. “… I feel that he’s accomplished a very good job of enjoying off the ball, embracing, searching threes off the dribble, catch and shoot. I feel that he’s a underrated defender. He’ll decide you up full court docket. He’s very bodily, he’s feisty, he’s aggressive. He simply brings a lot to their crew and I feel that he’s helped them.”
Pritchard’s dedication to striving for higher heights started within the offseason. Once more, coming off a championship, traditionally, hasn’t cautioned gamers to shatter their ceilings — particularly after being paid. The 6-foot-1 guard highlighted having the ability to “shoot off the dribble at the next clip” as one of many emphasised areas of enchancment this previous offseason, and whereas speak is affordable, taking pictures 43.2% from three isn’t. Pritchard obtained began shortly in giving everybody a preview of what his 12 months 5 self might appear to be, and it started as soon as the Celtics took off for a two-game journey to Abu Dhabi.
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Assembly up with Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets, Pritchard stood out by unleashing his new-and-improved sizzling hand. He shot a mixed 8-of-15 (53.3%) and scored 35 factors in Boston’s back-to-back victories to start the preseason and didn’t decelerate as soon as the crew returned to complete its exhibition schedule in the USA. Pritchard made 5 appearances and completed taking pictures a powerful 48.8% from past the arc, firing away at a noticeably faster and assured price.
Up to now, it’s all translated. Pritchard is the odds-on favourite — at +400 — to win the NBA’s Sixth Man of the 12 months award, in keeping with FanDuel Sportsbook, main Buddy Hield (+700), Malik Monk (+800), Bennedict Mathurin (+900), Naz Reid (+1000) and Tre Mann (+1300). It’s far too early to pencil Pritchard in as a respectable candidate, nonetheless, the numbers are on the Oregon merchandise facet. Pritchard is averaging a career-high 16 factors, three rebounds and a pair of.8 assists, taking pictures 46.7% from the sector whereas pulling down 4 3-point makes an attempt by eight appearances.
That’s elite manufacturing, and never simply relative to Pritchard’s vertical shortcoming. He’s among the many most impactful bench gamers able to making a distinction in vital methods.
Pritchard scored a season-best 28 factors on 10-of-14 taking pictures, together with 8-of-12 from three, in Boston’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks final month. Eight-time All-Star Damian Lillard particularly identified Pritchard, revealing Milwaukee mentioned its sport plan to suppress his scoring risk, moments earlier than the Bucks took the ground. That, in fact, didn’t work out and that’s been the fixed theme.
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In crippling the Bucks — and taking the life out of head coach Doc Rivers — Pritchard grew to become the primary participant in Celtics historical past to empty 5 or extra 3-pointers off the bench for 3 consecutive video games. With Lonnie Walker IV in Lithuania, and rumored to be garnering curiosity elsewhere throughout the league, Pritchard’s pitching in to maintain the depth solid efficient sufficient to maintain the title defenders on observe.
It wouldn’t take changing into the group’s first Sixth Man of the 12 months since Malcolm Brogdon (2022-23) for Pritchard to carve that position, formally or unofficially, however primarily based on his eight-game mixture, it’s definitely doable.
