After the NBA draft in November, it was 14th overall pick Aaron Nesmith who generated the most buzz when it came to the Celtics.
That was understandable since he was the team’s top pick, but through three games this season, it’s been 26th overall pick Payton Pritchard who has been able to step in and contribute right away.
While Nesmith has appeared in just one game so far, playing nine minutes in Boston’s blowout loss to Brooklyn on Friday, Pritchard has already emerged as a key part of the Celtics’ rotation. He ranks seventh on the team in minutes played and has topped 20 minutes in each of the last two games.
Pritchard’s best game yet came in Sunday’s one-point loss to Indiana, as he scored 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting (3-of-3 from three) while adding two assists and two steals. He played some key minutes down the stretch and was on the floor for the final play of the game.
It’s obviously too early to make any sweeping declarations about Pritchard (or Nesmith, for that matter), but it’s at least becoming clear what the Celtics saw in Pritchard and why they took him at 26 even though many pre-draft rankings had him as a second-rounder.
For one, being a 22-year-old four-year college player means he brings more maturity and experience than most first-round picks. While there is almost a stigma that has developed around four-year college players -- the idea that a future NBA player doesn’t or shouldn’t need four years to get there -- Pritchard said staying in school at Oregon is a big reason he has been able to step in and contribute right away.
“Honestly, I got better every year in college,” Pritchard said. “Everybody has a different path and they go whenever they’re ready, or whenever they think they’re ready. For me, I was ready to go after my senior year and come in and play right away. I think throughout college, it wasn’t like I just stayed the same. I got better each and every year. I want to continue to do that now in the pros.”
Pritchard’s ball-handling, shooting ability and intensity and energy at both ends of the floor are skillsets that should stick, but he also knows that not every game is going to be a 5-for-5 night like Sunday and says he’s prepared for the eventual down nights, something he’s experienced at different levels before.
“Honestly, just going into it knowing that there’s going to be ups and downs this year. I’m mentally prepared for that,” he said. “It’s part of the process. I went through it in high school, started as a freshman and I didn’t do good. College, same thing. Sometimes you just go through these ups and downs as you’re learning how to contribute on a good team and find your way. So I’m kind of mentally prepared for that. That’s part of the process.”
Pritchard also knows there’s still plenty of learning to do. When asked about veteran and fellow point guard Jeff Teague, Pritchard said he’s definitely one player he’s already learning a lot from in terms of how he plays.
“Just how he’s able to create fouls and get to the free throw line,” Pritchard said of Teague. “The NBA’s such a different game from college, the spacing, the foul calls, what they call and stuff like that. The little tricks he does to get guys on his back, create a foul. For me, it’s just learning how to create those angles, how to draw those fouls to create easier points and get to the free throw line. Obviously those little things I’m trying to pick up and add to my game.”