Just hours after agreeing to a four-year, $30 million extension, Payton Pritchard made a statement, leading the Celtics to a 114-106 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in their preseason opener.
The 25-year-old exploded for a game-high 26 points, 16 of which came in the fourth quarter, as he single-handedly outscored Philadelphia in the final seven minutes of the game.
Pritchard also impressed as a passer, especially as the primary ball handler, dishing out four assists.
The performance was enough to earn “MVP” chants from an energetic TD Garden crowd, but more importantly, it gave us a glimpse of what Pritchard is capable of.
Yes, it’s the preseason, and the 76ers were severely undermanned, but that’s what the preseason is about. What can you learn, and what can you see as players look to familiarize themselves with their roles?
The role Pritchard saw Sunday night is very similar to the one he will see this season, and he flourished. Pritchard checked in at the 3:58 mark in the first quarter, alongside Luke Kornet, and Sam Hauser, whom he figures to spend a lot of time with on the court this season.
The Celtics were slow to start offensively, finishing with 20 points on 7-of-25 (28%) shooting from the field, and 3-of-12 (25%) from deep. After missing his first two looks, Pritchard gave the Celtics offense the jolt they needed, knocking down a deep three that led to a 4-point play at the buzzer.
Those momentum plays are what Pritchard aims to hang his hat on.
“I can be able to stretch the floor, hit threes, stuff like that,” Pritchard said postgame.
“But I really try to hang my hat on the energy plays, picking up and little things like that to change the game. Obviously, we’ve got unbelievable players, so scoring is not something we necessarily need, so I gotta find ways to always affect the game.”
There has been plenty of buzz surrounding the fourth-year point guard.
“I think Payton’s had a great camp,” Sam Hauser said Saturday. “He’s really, really been aggressive. He worked really hard this summer, and I think he’s out for blood this year. So I’m really excited to see what he brings to the table.”
We saw the reasoning behind the hype Pritchard has been receiving in camp on Sunday night.
One of the things that stood out most was how comfortable Pritchard looked. Which may have been a result of having some security with his new deal.
“When I signed it (the extension,) it was almost like a sigh of relief,” Pritchard said.
With Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon gone, Pritchard has a great opportunity to prove himself, and the Celtics need him to, as he likely slot in as the backup guard behind Jrue Holiday and Derrick White.
If Sunday night was any indicator, Pritchard could slot in quite nicely.
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