A year ago, Payton Pritchard was simply craving an opportunity.
After making significant contributions during his first two years in the league and playing a crucial role off the bench in Boston’s 2022 NBA Finals journey, the narrative shifted for the former 26th overall pick in his third year. Pritchard’s playing time dwindled, appearing in just 48 games and averaging a mere 13.4 minutes per game, both a career low.
That opportunity finally arrived in Game 82 of the last season – a game where Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Marcus Smart, Robert Williams, and Malcolm Brogdon were resting ahead of the playoffs – offering Pritchard the chance he had been eagerly awaiting.
Pritchard did not disappoint, posting a 30-point, 11-assist, and 14-rebound triple-double, joining Larry Bird and John Havlicek as the only players in Celtics history to record at least 30 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in a game.
“I had the opportunity to go out and show what I’m capable of, and I tried to take advantage and show the world what I’m capable of,” Pritchard said after the game.
At that point, however, playoff rotations were already set, and Pritchard once fell victim to the logjam the Celtics had at guard behind Smart, White, and Brogdon in the postseason.
Almost a year to the day, Pritchard found himself in a similar situation.
With Boston’s top six — Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristiaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, and Al Horford — all resting, Pritchard found himself with an opportunity to serve as the catalyst for the offense on Friday night. This time, however, it felt like a familiar situation he was more accustomed to.
Following a busy offseason that saw Smart and Brogdon traded away, Pritchard was in line for a larger role. The 26-year-old inked a four-year, $30 million extension with the Celtics and has proven his worth every step of the way, making the most of his increased responsibilities.
Entering Friday night’s win over the Hornets, the former first-round pick was averaging career-highs in points (9.0), assists (3.2), rebounds (3.2), field goal percentage (45.3%), and most importantly, minutes (21.9). Those numbers should show a slight uptick after Friday night’s performance.
Pritchard scored a career-high 31 points on 14-of-22 (63.6%), dished out 11 assists, and grabbed three boards, all in just three-quarters of work. Accomplishing those figures in just 31 minutes puts him in elite company. He ties Celtics legend Larry Bird’s achievement of recording a 30-point, 10-assist double-double while playing the fewest minutes, matching Bird’s feat in just 31 minutes of play.
The 6-foot-1 guard has now appeared in all 81 games and will likely become one of the few players to appear in all 82 on Sunday – a sharp contrast from a season ago.
“It’s definitely an accomplishment for me,” Pritchard remarked on nearing the milestone of playing all 82 games. “It’s just the journey. Last year was my second year of times where I didn’t play at all — and how frustrating that is. How much it hurt at times. But it just fueled me to keep working, and for this year, to come and play 82 games and be a part of the best team in the NBA and try to do something special definitely feels good.”
The Celtics are enjoying the fruits of Pritchard’s appearance in every game. The Oregon Native is leading the entire NBA in offensive rating (122.5) and net ratings (13.4), is fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.5), and leads all reserves with +375 plus-minus.
“Just being a complete player from the standpoint of every game is going to be different, and he affects the game in many different ways,” Joe Mazzulla said on Pritchard postgame. “Obviously, having a consistent role for an entire season is really beneficial, which I think this is the first time he’s had that where he knows each and every night exactly what he’s playing, where he’s playing, and kind of what the potential is. So, I think a little bit of that.”
Formerly pigeonholed as a mere shooter, Pritchard has transcended that label. His performance on Friday night showcased his diverse skill set, from scoring to playmaking, defense, and rebounding, highlighting the breadth of his abilities.
“It definitely helps a lot,” Pritchard said postgame on having a consistent role. “For any player, when you are getting spot minutes, it’s tough. You don’t know when it’s going to come. When you do get the minutes, it’s like – what is your role out there? What are you getting put out there for?”
“In the past, a lot of the time, it wasn’t neccsesarily for me to be a point guard or even a playmaker. It was really like, come in, try to hit some threes and bring energy defensively, rebound and stuff like that. So, you know, I think my role has definitely grown a little bit this year, and with that, I’ve grown and have been better at playmaking and just making the game easy for myself and also my teammates.”
Emerging as one of the most impactful reserves in the NBA, that extension he signed over the offseason is showing to be one of the better value contracts in the NBA.
For Pritchard, all he needed was the opportunity. From the start, it was apparent he was ready to make a leap this year, and it’s been a difference-maker for the Celtics.
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