During a timeout in the first half of the Celtics’ Game 1 win over the Orlando Magic, the video board at TD Garden displayed a video of each player discussing their biggest pet peeves.
A few went with being late. Some went with different social situations, such as people playing music out loud/talking on speakerphone in public, responding “Huh” to a question they are asked, or, in the case of Al Horford, asking him, “What’s the vibe?”
Payton Pritchard also went with a behavioral pet peeve, but his was a little different: people not giving it their all.
“I just don’t think you can accomplish anything at the highest of levels unless you give it your all,” said Pritchard. “I remember there was a Steve Nash quote, and he was like, ‘I wouldn’t be in the position I am today if guys worked as hard as I did.’ He’s a little, 6-foot-2 white person, whatever, probably shouldn’t be what he was, but he outworked everybody. But there are people with a lot more gifts who are less like hardworking people, and so that’s a pet peeve of mine. And that’s what I strive to be, the hardest worker.”
Hard work and giving everything he’s got is the story of Payton Pritchard. It’s something he’s taken immense pride in since he was a kid.
When Pritchard first moved to West Linn, Oregon, that give-it-all mentality was the first thing that stood out to West Linn High School basketball coach Eric Viuhkola when he first saw Pritchard at one of the school’s basketball camps.
“Everything we do in our camps is really competitive, and he just had this unbelievable effort that he would put into every drill. And he would have the best scores,” recalled Viuhkola. “I’m going, ‘Holy moly, this guy.”
By sixth grade, Pritchard was attending varsity team workouts in the morning. Coming from an athletic family, his competitiveness stood out—even as the smallest kid in the gym.
“He thought he was the best player out there. But it wasn’t like he’d go in there and try to take every shot,” said Viuhkola. “He just played to win and would make the right play, and, you know, kids are going, ‘Holy moly, this kid’s going to be something special.’ Because, at that time, he just looked like a little kid. But he was just so talented in his ball handling and shooting and everything like that. You just knew you had something special.”
Before school, Pritchard would be in the garage dribbling a weighted ball. In the cold, it left cuts on his hands—cuts he’d tape up before heading to another workout at the high school or local gym. During lunch, he’d hit the track with his dad. After practice, he’d tag along to his father’s basketball clinics.
“He’d get up, he’d do his ball handling, then he’d come to the high school. And you know, this is when people are still asleep. Then he’d come to do a basketball workout. Then go to school. Then at lunchtime, because he always had me right after lunch, there’d be 2-3 days a week where he was doing plyometric workouts out on the track,” recalled Viuhkola, who was also Pritchard’s high school PE teacher.
“Then we would have practice, and then after our practice, he would go to his dad’s workouts. So, you’re talking 4 or 5 workouts. The amazing thing about it was, I hear all these kids, ‘Oh yeah, I’m working out, I’m doing all these workouts,’ and I would see them, and they’d be in the gym, and they’re sitting on their phones. Meanwhile, Payton is drenching through shirt after shirt every day. I mean, he would be soaked because every workout, he’s just giving it everything he’s got. I think that’s where a lot of his confidence comes from. I mean, he’s a very confident person, and when you put that kind of work in, you just have to spew confidence.”
When he was at the University of Oregon, that relentless motor didn’t stop. Head coach Dana Altman would have to step in and tell Pritchard to ease up and take a day off.
“Every day. He was there early, stayed late, and it was consistent. It wasn’t one of those, well, I had a bad game, so I’m gonna get in the gym. Good game, bad game, it didn’t matter. He was gonna work extra and put extra time in. Just the consistency, not many days off. That NCAA-required day off didn’t mean much to him,” Altman said. “I’d remind him, hey, we’ve got a ball game tomorrow. You’ve put enough time in. Let’s just get ready for the ball game. Take a day off here.”
Oregon assistant coach Kevin McKenna, who spent six years in the NBA and won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1982 alongside Hall of Famers Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob McAdoo, Jamaal Wilkes, and Michael Cooper, said Pritchard’s work ethic is something he’s never seen before.
“Just doing the extra stuff that it takes to be great. He continued that when he got here. He would play one-on-one with our GAs and managers after practice,” McKenna said. “The guy is just obsessed with basketball. There’s no other way to describe it. I played pro ball myself for six years, and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anybody who has put the time, energy, effort, and discipline into being a player. Just the work he puts in. That’s what sets him apart in my eyes.”
Now in his fifth NBA season, with a championship ring on his finger and the John Havlicek Sixth Man of the Year Trophy on his mantle, Pritchard hasn’t changed. He’s still wired the same way — driven by hard work, fierce competitiveness, and a relentless love for the game.
“There are certain guys who, that’s just kind of how they identify. I’m a hooper. That’s who they are. And since Payton was little, he’s always been in the gym. That’s part of his identity – I’m a player. He would be lost right now if he didn’t have the ball,” Altman said. “He wants to be the best player that Payton Pritchard can be. And that’s a compliment to anybody when they truly believe they want to be the best. Preparation is confidence, and he knows he’s prepared. He’s always won. He won in high school. He’s won some here. He’s winning with the Celtics.”
“I’m scared for Payton and what he would do if he didn’t have basketball,” added McKenna. “The guy is just – I’ve never seen anybody that obsessed with the game. It’s cool to see, but it’s also like, man, what if he didn’t have basketball? I don’t know what that guy would be doing. He’s that level of obsessed with basketball and being good.”
For Pritchard, hard work is everything. Keep your head down, work harder than anyone, and let success speak for itself. And it doesn't go unnoticed by his teammates and coaches.
“His confidence comes from just who he is, but also his work ethic,” said Joe Mazzulla. “I enjoy watching him work every day. It’s a testament to how he carries himself and how he lives his life. He’s just innately competitive. It’s fun to watch.”
That work ethic is what sets him apart — the reason he’s now on the short list of Celtics to win Sixth Man of the Year, and a key piece on a title-contending team.
“Hard work is everything. Everything and anything you want to do in life, whatever profession, it’s all about hard work and how many hours you’re going to put towards it,” said Pritchard. “You get out what you put into it. That’s what I pride myself on. I pride myself on being the hardest worker and getting the most out of it.”