Payton Pritchard of the Boston Celtics overcomes early-season adversity to achieve a breakthrough.
This summer, the Celtics made a bet on Payton Pritchard. With the Marcus Smart trade, he was promised a better role after a disappointing third season in which his role was reduced. The Celtics followed suit with a contract extension.
Despite a solid preseason, the early returns were not encouraging. Pritchard had a cold start to the season. He went scoreless in four of five games in a row. In the other, he had 15 points, but all of them came in the fourth quarter of a rout of the Pacers. On Friday, he conceded that skepticism had begun to sneak in.
“I think it started messing with me mentally a little bit,” Pritchard added. “However, I returned to what made me a great shooter in the first place.” So I simply reset it to that. It’s really just a mental game. It starts to have an effect on you, and you start second-guessing your shoots. At the end of the day, you worked too hard. So I just have faith in myself.”
Pritchard’s hard work and faith got him through a difficult season last year. It paid off again in the Celtics’ win over the Nets on Friday, with Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla crediting Pritchard with influencing the game. Pritchard continued to rely on having an impact on the game in ways other than scoring. He remained defensively active. He made quick decisions. He smashed the offensive glass and grabbed four offensive rebounds. Then, finally, the shots began to fall again.
While this is the role Pritchard has long desired, there has been some adjusting. He’s adjusting to the second unit and his new colleagues. He’s figuring out his role and how he can contribute to a game. Despite his difficulties, he had the full support of Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla.
“Joe came to me and said, ‘You’re going to play,'” Pritchard, who finished with 13 points on Friday, said. “It’s almost as if you keep winning in other areas and that’s all that matters.” Shots will be fired. They’ll make some, but they’ll also have to find other means.”
“I think I’ve missed 11 in a row since the Indiana game.” I’m not going to do much of anything. They are well aware of this. I’ve demonstrated during my tenure with the Celtics that I’m not going to accomplish much. They simply believe in me, so keep going. But I’m always looking for more methods to make a difference. Offensive rebounds on defense. Any way I can contribute to the team’s success.”
Pritchard was doing all of that and more on Friday. There was the offensive rebound after his own miss, which he converted into his own corner 3-pointer, which propelled the Celtics to an 8-0 lead in the first quarter. In transition, there was a steal. There was the offensive rebound off his own missed free throw, which resulted in a layup. Another offensive rebound resulted in a 3-pointer by Sam Hauser in the fourth quarter.
The 6-foot-1 Pritchard tied his career high with four offensive rebounds, leading to eight second-chance points for the Celtics.
“It’s just making an impression on the game,” Pritchard explained.
Pritchard’s expectations have changed now that he has a new contract and a larger responsibility, but he is attempting to limit distractions.
“To be honest with you, I have been off social media and I haven’t been looking,” Pritchard told reporters. “So I figured they were going to attack me. But it’s all part of the experience of playing in Boston, and that’s what I like about it. As a result, I wouldn’t want to play somewhere else. If I’m playing poorly, I want to hear it, but I’ll fix it.”
Pritchard never worried throughout his difficult period. He’s had slumps in the past. It’s a necessary aspect of being a shooter. He maintained his self-assurance. He was confident that he would make it through.
“Like, this is just making me better,” Pritchard explained. “It’s all part of the journey.” These slumps, you know, I think will pay off in the end and make me a stronger player overall. Because I’m not hitting shots, I’ve got to find other methods to make an effect in the last couple of games. As a result, I’m becoming a more versatile player rather than just a shooter. As a result, it’s all part of the game.”
Obviously, the Celtics will rely largely on their strong starting five throughout the season, but Pritchard remains an important piece of their championship quest. There will be times when they need him, such as Friday. While there have been legitimate concerns about the depth of this club, Friday’s performance was a significant step forward.
“He can hit shots from the parking lot if you let him, and he also is a great offensive rebounder,” Brown added. “So him playing well and him being confident in himself is going to be good for us down the line.”
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