There were plenty of highlights from Payton Pritchard on Tuesday night. Enough that Jaylen Brown nicknamed him “the GOAT” after Pritchard unleashed the Boston rally from a 17-point handicap in the second half to a 116-111 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
But the moment that hit home why Pritchard so quickly gained the confidence of Celtics coach Brad Stevens, breaking through a rookie barrier that hampered many first-year players, came during another cameo at the beginning of the season when Pritchard showed exactly why it is nicknamed FastPP.
Celtics-Pacers overreactions: C’s have a long way to go despite victory in recovery
With Boston clinging to a four-point lead with less than five minutes left, Pritchard accelerated past Victor Oladipo and, when Myles Turner crawled to help, the rookie kicked the ball over to Tristan Thompson. Unfortunately, TT was a little late leaving the field for the PP lob, and TJ Warren managed to deflect the ball for a steal.
Pritchard’s heels were essentially at the baseline when Oladipo burst above the load circle. With a series of powerful steps, Pritchard narrowed the gap in the middle of the court, and when Oladipo slowed his approach to the basket, the rookie launched himself and kicked the ball out.
Marcus Smart recovered it. The action was reversed, with the ball quickly back in Pritchard’s hands and, despite being thin in numbers, Pritchard’s threat of attacking the basket in the transition caused three defenders to crawl to his side of the field. The rookie passed the ball to Smart for an open 3-point cushion and a much more comfortable seven-point cushion.
Pritchard finished with 10 points out of 4 out of 8 shots with five rebounds, five assists and that key steal. He had three twists and turns, but, to Brad Stevens’ delight, none were caused by inadvertently leaving the field during an offensive possession.
Four games in his NBA career, Pritchard, choice number 26 in the November draft, is the fifth in the team in total minutes played (88). He recorded more ground time than two of Boston’s key rotation players during his bubble run at Grant Williams (61 minutes) and Daniel Theis (86). He’s slightly ahead of the acquisition of offseason veteran Jeff Teague, who he should be ahead of him on the pitch depth chart entering the season.
All of this to say that Pritchard dismissed any reasonable expectations. Of course, being a four-year-old player in Oregon has made him a little more prepared for the NBA than some of the teenagers the Celtics have won over the past few years. He’s older than Jayson Tatum. But forcing your way to rotation so soon, having Brown nick him GOAT and Tatum jokingly calling him “8 miles”, is still remarkable.
While Kemba Walker is off the pitch, there will be suggestions that Pritchard should be considered for starting tasks on small ball lineups, especially if Stevens navigates away from the big two variation he used to start the year. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what Pritchard’s role is, because if he continues to impact the victories in the way he has done, he will be a key rotational presence in this team.
The Celtics will not win on Tuesday night without Pritchard’s revolutionary energy.
“Payton went there confidently,” said Brown. “I definitely needed a spark from the bank and Payton was everything and more to us tonight. We will need more guys to keep moving forward. Excellent guy. Excellent work by Payton Pritchard, man. The boy can play and we are looking forward to him and other guys also performing in the future. “
Before Tuesday’s game, Stevens teased the rookie about his propensity to step on the sideline early in his professional career. At the same time, he did his best to prevent Pritchard’s excitement from building up too quickly.
“He is a good player. He will be a good player for a long time,” said Stevens. “I don’t want to overdo it. The novice hype train can sometimes be a good thing and sometimes it’s a bad thing. He just needs to keep playing, getting better, doing the best he can and trying to catch the ball on the pitch.
“That’s goal # 1. If he can play an entire game without leaving the field, it would be a big win.”
Well, cross out Tuesday night in several winnings columns. But it turns out that staying on the pitch was not Pritchard’s biggest contribution. He changed the whole complexion of the game – with the help of colleague Robert Williams – bringing energy and effort after a poor start to the third quarter left the Celtics with a 17-point hole.
Pritchard even managed a race in the fourth period with a group of beginners. He now has several games with time-critical lineups. This says a lot about the confidence the team placed in him so early.
“Having the confidence of your coach and my teammates means a lot to me because it can allow me to continue to grow as a player and be able to help this team when I can,” said Pritchard. “Leaving the reserve bank. , I want to be able to provide a spark, make the team work, or help the team build more leadership.
“I want to win. That’s why we play this game. I want to win and I want to help as much as I can to get a win. So I tried to do that tonight.”
Prospects for Celtics capitalization after allegedly exercising three team options
Pritchard certainly has some intelligence, especially if he is going to produce that kind of winning move. Danny Ainge sketched a younger version of himself and Pritchard helped fill an obvious gap with Walker away to start the year.
Sorry, coach, the rookie ad train is already approaching high speed. Fortunately for the Celtics, Pritchard does not look like the type who will be very happy based on a small initial compliment. Yes, even GOATS has to work to make this team.