{"id":5017,"date":"2024-11-08T01:47:49","date_gmt":"2024-11-08T01:47:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=5017"},"modified":"2024-11-08T01:47:49","modified_gmt":"2024-11-08T01:47:49","slug":"breaking-how-the-celtics-leverage-payton-pritchard-to-power-through-intense-practice-drills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=5017","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: How the Celtics Leverage Payton Pritchard to Power Through Intense Practice Drills"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n
\n
\n

‘Payton’s cold, bro’<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\"Payton<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Payton Pritchard isn\u2019t just relied on to fulfill the sixth man\u2019s role off the Boston Celtics bench this season, the undersized 6-foot-1 guard is also the centerpiece of an entire drill ran routinely during team practices.<\/p>\n

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has taken notice of a particular \u2014 and effective \u2014 strength in Pritchard\u2019s game and wisely designed an entirely new drill from it. Contrary to popular belief, Pritchard\u2019s vertically challenged stature doesn\u2019t alleviate the rigorousness of the drill itself and so far it has helped reinforce Pritchard\u2019s value to the reigning champions, fresh off a painstaking offseason of his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s this drill that we have where you gotta go up against Payton full court,\u201d Jrue Holiday told FanDuel\u2019s \u201cRun It Back\u201d on Thursday. \u201cAnd he just be going crazy. Speed, handle, low to the ground so he can body you, stops on the dime and he can shoot it. \u2026 Payton, Payton\u2019s cold, bro.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pritchard\u2019s fierce full-court press has become a constant challenge for opposing scorers to cross half-court as soon as the ball is inbounded. This approach was used in multiple plays during Boston\u2019s 123-93 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night as Pritchard targeted defensive assignments early<\/em>, picking up opponents ahead of half-court to establish that regardless of his height, there\u2019s no such thing as a free bucket waiting on the other end. Not only has it worked but that\u2019s just half of Pritchard\u2019s lethal full-court game.<\/p>\n

Offensively, Pritchard can be just as much of an energy bunny. Upon Celtics inbounds, Pritchard\u2019s shown a unique ability to fire and sink half-court heaves as the league\u2019s unofficial king of 47-plus-foot daggers. Even if not from Stephen Curry range, Pritchard\u2019s speed with the ball and ability to set his feet and fire away quickly enough before the shot clock buzzer has already begun to haunt others across the league \u2014 including Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers and their 1-6 team.<\/p>\n

The ever-evolving improvements to Pritchard\u2019s game haven\u2019t just benefitted the Celtics, they also put the 26-year-old in premature award-winning conversations. Pritchard\u2019s become arguably the best sixth man in the league, averaging a career-high 16 points on 45.6% shooting from the field and 41.2% shooting from 3-point range, which \u2014 if maintained \u2014 could lead Pritchard to a legitimate case at becoming Boston\u2019s first Sixth Man of the Year since ex-guard Malcolm Brogdon (2022-23).<\/p>\n

Until then, the 7-2 Celtics will focus on what\u2019s ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cI definitely think we can be (better than last year),\u201d Holiday said, per FanDuel. \u201cIt\u2019s because of the chemistry that we built. I think when you go through something like a season last year \u2014 again, it was my first year. But you go through a season like last year and you win, and you do it together and everybody is, not only on the same page but everybody messes with each other, I think it means a lot. I think the care for each other is there more, the intent. I think people wanting to do what\u2019s best, not only for yourself but for the team, carries over into this next year.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Celtics guard Payton Pritchard has been utilized creatively for a specific (tough) drill used during Boston’s practice runs this season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5021,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING: How the Celtics Leverage Payton Pritchard to Power Through Intense Practice Drills - 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=5017\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING: How the Celtics Leverage Payton Pritchard to Power Through Intense Practice Drills - 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