{"id":13955,"date":"2024-12-03T09:21:41","date_gmt":"2024-12-03T09:21:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=13955"},"modified":"2024-12-03T09:21:41","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T09:21:41","slug":"payton-pritchard-scorching-start-becoming-story-of-celtics-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=13955","title":{"rendered":"Payton Pritchard Scorching Start Becoming Story of Celtics Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"sub-title\">Payton Pritchard has become indispensable through the Celtics&#8217; start. How Joe Mazzulla can keep him as involved as possible is becoming something to watch.<\/div>\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/USATSI_24896315-1024x683.jpg\" \/><\/div>\n<p>BOSTON \u2014 The Celtics needed what <strong>Payton Pritchard\u00a0<\/strong>gave them to start their repeating campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Whether due to\u00a0<strong>Sam Hauser\u2019s\u00a0<\/strong>early season back injury leaving the bench scoring bare, or when Pritchard needed to play more or even close to counteract slow starts or stretches, he\u2019s provided stunningly consistent scoring, flashes of play-making, capable defense and energy when other players lacked it. The late quarter heaves have taken on a life of their own.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"LIVE: Celtics vs Heat Postgame Show | Garden Report\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/B86-C_KAX_s?feature=oembed\" width=\"788\" height=\"443\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>On Monday, the second half of a back-to-back where the Celtics routed the Heat, 108-89, Pritchard scored 25 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block on 10-of-17 shooting while knocking down 5-of-12 from three. Boston won his minutes by 16, vaulting him to 37th in +\/- (+93). It\u2019s becoming productivity more reminiscent of a star than the team\u2019s sixth man, averaging 16.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists and shooting 43.1% from three. In recent weeks, his reliance on the three decreased, shooting 5-of-5 from two on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s important, returning the exact same team, to find a different identity and I think he really works at it,\u201d\u00a0<strong>Joe Mazzulla\u00a0<\/strong>said. \u201cThe key to him is he finds different ways to impact games, but he\u2019s grown as a player over the course of his career \u2026 his ball pressure and his defense, so he\u2019s a complete player. I know it sounds weird, but he\u2019s one of the best three-level scorers that I\u2019ve seen, especially for his size, and he\u2019s just a high-level competitor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Over his last five games, arguably the best stretch of his career that\u2019s included his flame-throwing, game saving fourth quarter in Chicago, 24 points at Cleveland without\u00a0<strong>Derrick White <\/strong>and a 6-for-10 three point shooting night against the Clippers, Pritchard also shot 66.7% at the rim, 77.8% in the paint and 53.3% from mid-range. A late possession against the Cavs saw him posting-up\u00a0<strong>Darius Garland\u00a0<\/strong>successfully, something he almost never does. Pritchard screened in a White-like fashion alongside\u00a0<strong>Jayson Tatum\u00a0<\/strong>in the close loss before returning to an on-ball bench role in unfamiliar lineups one day later. He\u2019s played all 21 games after an 82-game campaign.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s become the best story on the team. A luxury and a potential dilemma as Pritchard\u2019s productivity demands maximum floor time.\u00a0<strong>Jrue Holiday\u00a0<\/strong>rested on Monday while White returned, allowing Pritchard to play 33 minutes in an eventual blowout win. Prior to White suffering his injury in Chicago, he still averaged 27 MPG, Mazzulla trying three-guard lineups, extended bench stretches and a spot closing role to keep him on the floor.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141923\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141923\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screen-Shot-2024-12-03-at-3.17.36-AM-300x74.png\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 746px) 100vw, 746px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screen-Shot-2024-12-03-at-3.17.36-AM-300x74.png 300w, https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screen-Shot-2024-12-03-at-3.17.36-AM-1024x254.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screen-Shot-2024-12-03-at-3.17.36-AM-768x190.png 768w, https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screen-Shot-2024-12-03-at-3.17.36-AM-1536x380.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screen-Shot-2024-12-03-at-3.17.36-AM-150x37.png 150w, https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screen-Shot-2024-12-03-at-3.17.36-AM-450x111.png 450w, https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screen-Shot-2024-12-03-at-3.17.36-AM-1200x297.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screen-Shot-2024-12-03-at-3.17.36-AM.png 1946w\" alt=\"Payton Pritchard Scorching Start Becoming Story of Celtics Season - CLNS Media\" width=\"746\" height=\"184\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141923\">The Celtics\u2019 splits with Payton Pritchard on the floor compared to off by season (2024-25 bottom row).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cHis teammates understanding we have to have a different identity, we need to go to different stuff,\u201d Mazzulla said after Monday\u2019s win. \u201cAnd he takes a ton of pressure off the other guys, and so I think it\u2019s two-fold. It\u2019s what he\u2019s done and the team empowering him to do that, because he\u2019s special.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The twist-and-turns Pritchard\u2019s career took from becoming\u00a0<strong>Danny Ainge\u2019s\u00a0<\/strong>final draft pick, initially in infamous fashion with the team passing on a chance to select early hit\u00a0<strong>Desmond Bane\u00a0<\/strong>at No. 26. Pritchard entered the league through the COVID draft long after his final college season in November, with no workouts, limited meetings and an abbreviated training camp. His ready-made game earned him minutes immediately before a string of veteran guards playing in front of him, from\u00a0<strong>Kemba Walker\u00a0<\/strong>to\u00a0<strong>Malcolm Brogdon<\/strong>, culminated in a desire to be traded in 2023. That deadline,\u00a0<strong>Brad Stevens\u00a0<\/strong>offered Pritchard and\u00a0<strong>Danilo Gallinari\u00a0<\/strong>for\u00a0Spurs center\u00a0<strong>Jakob Poeltl<\/strong>. It\u2019s easy to imagine a world where Pritchard\u2019s scoring 20 PPG for San Antonio ever since.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, Pritchard emerged in an effective albeit less consistent role than we\u2019re watching now, utilizing methods like corner crashing on the offensive glass to counteract his slower shooting stretches. He started last regular season ice cold after a hot preseason. His spot starts and expanded opportunities led to him flourishing, while the shorter bursts saw him less consistent. Defensive improvement made him a more prepared playoff contributor, and though he had his moments guarding <strong>Luka Don\u010di\u0107\u00a0<\/strong>in the Finals,\u00a0<strong>Sam Hauser\u00a0<\/strong>played a larger role. Even at that point, the four-year, $30 million extension he signed prior to the season simply felt like a fair deal.<\/p>\n<p>Now, as Pritchard pours in over 20 points per 36 minutes, his upside playing on the biggest bargain contract in the league becomes the conversation entering his age-27 season \u2014 how he\u2019ll help this roster sustain into the future and where he can expand his game from here. He\u2019s done it as a defender already, limiting his assignments to 46.2% shooting this season, though he remains a target in smaller lineups. He made good on an offseason goal to improve his pull-up shooting, hitting 39.7% of his threes off the bounce after converting only 30% in 2024. His finishing inside eight feet rose to 66.7% from 63.4% last season, drawing 1.9 free throw attempts per game (0.7 in 2024).<\/p>\n<p>Situationally, Mazzulla found two years ago that Boston can use his speed in end-of-quarters scenarios, and that\u2019s expanded into a scene like Sunday where he\u2019s in at the end of the game, trading free throws while threatening to take the game-tying shot with the Celtics strapped for time. Boston produced a good look for him against Cleveland\u2019s zone with five seconds left. A brief hesitation after the catch allowed the Cavs to foul him. Like other coaches have recently,\u00a0<strong>Kenny Atkinson\u00a0<\/strong>highlighted Pritchard after the game, saying they began fouling early to prevent a Pritchard pull-up.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s become one of the most important players on the Celtics in 2024-25, and it\u2019ll become fascinating how Boston maintains his outsized role. It\u2019s insult to injury for the rest of the league, already having to account for so much on the Celtics before their third guard who\u2019s turned into\u00a0<strong>Isaiah Thomas<\/strong>. So far, he\u2019s run away with the sixth man race.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I get voted (Sixth Man of the Year) and I get that honor, that would be incredible,\u201d Pritchard said recently. \u201cBut I\u2019m not gonna chase it and go try to get stats. It\u2019s more about playing winning basketball, and like I said, if I\u2019m fortunate enough to win it through that, that would be an honor.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Payton Pritchard has become indispensable through the Celtics&#8217; start. How Joe Mazzulla can keep him as involved as possible is becoming something to watch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":13959,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Payton Pritchard Scorching Start Becoming Story of Celtics Season - News 365<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=13955\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Payton Pritchard Scorching Start Becoming Story of Celtics Season - News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Payton Pritchard has become indispensable through the Celtics&#039; start. 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