As the Celtics sputtered to start their season, all Payton Pritchard could do was watch from the bench. Playing time was sparse; his trusty shot was off. The promising building blocks of his rookie season and NBA Summer League were nowhere to be found.
For the first time in his life, Pritchard wasn’t a rotation player. The point guard always found a way onto the court whether it was in high school or at Oregon in college. But the NBA is unforgiving, and Pritchard just didn’t have a consistent role with the Celtics yet.
“I was definitely sad and a little depressed at times,” Pritchard said. “I want to hoop and I wasn’t able to.”
But his confidence never wavered, as those close to Pritchard put it. The preparation stayed the same. Any competitor will get frustrated, he said, but channeling that energy productively is the key to working through the struggles.
The opportunities were going to come — and they have. Pritchard is firmly in Boston coach Ime Udoka’s rotation as a dangerous sharpshooter who can get hot at a moment’s notice. As the Celtics plan to make a deep playoff run, Pritchard’s shooting off the bench will be an important weapon from the moment he steps on the court.
It was a process to get to this point. There were doubts and adversity, typical for a second-year player looking to make a mark. But Pritchard’s relentless work ethic and confidence carried him through the tough times.
“He always thought he belonged,” said Terry Pritchard, Payton’s dad. “He never said, to us anyway, that he thought he wasn’t good enough. It’s tough at every level to stay on that high. He handled it well.”
A time of growth
It’s hardly the first time Pritchard battled adversity in his basketball career. He was the dude growing up, but his critics still doubted his ability — and size — to translate to the next level. There were struggles, sure, but he was still always one of the most talented players on whatever team or whatever level.
But this time was different: The league swallows up young, promising talent on the regular.
As Pritchard found himself outside the rotation, he leaned on his support network — and he did what he’s known throughout his entire life. It’s that persistent diligence and drive that carried him into the league, said Eric Viuhkola, Pritchard’s high school coach. Now, it was keeping him as sharp as possible while waiting for his chance.
“In the last year-and-a-half, that has been Payton’s biggest growth in his maturity,” Viuhkola said. “When things like this happened before, you could tell, he would wear it on his sleeve. He was going to be pissed off. But his solution has always been, ‘Well, I’m just going to go work harder.’ That’s what he did.”
There are only so many ways a benchwarmer can stay ready in the league. Practice times are sparse compared to college, and staying physically rested is a key component. That’s where the mental aspect comes in, Pritchard said. He did all the work physically; next up was to keep his mind prepared for when Udoka called his number.
Pritchard also had his teammates who can relate to his lack of playing time. Jaylen Brown has seen every phase of the NBA from benchwarmer to rotation player to All-Star. That’s a unique road, one Pritchard can relate to as a young player.
“Payton got that mentality where it’s like, you won’t take no for an answer,” Brown said in February. “He’s never going to give up. Those are the guys I like to be around. Those are the guys that his belief in himself and his confidence in himself is high, and mine is the same way. It’s almost like if you don’t believe in yourself, nobody else will.”
Those doubts have been a constant throughout Pritchard’s career. He wasn’t supposed to star at Oregon for four years, culminating in an All-American senior season cut short by the pandemic. Pritchard also wasn’t supposed to be that effective in the NBA. He was too small, the detractors said every stop along the way. It was a source of endless frustration for those closest to Pritchard.
But they also knew he would get the last say on the court — and that’s how his sophomore NBA season has played out.
“His confidence never wavered — it never has,” Terry Pritchard said. “Payton’s always bet on himself. He keeps working.”
‘I’m a ballplayer’
Pritchard’s approach has worked perfectly. Minutes finally opened at the trade deadline when the Celtics shipped Dennis Schröder and other pieces out.
The team shored up its depth by acquiring Derrick White and Daniel Theis while placing a calculated bet on Pritchard. The Celtics needed shooting; Pritchard was an internal fix for those woes. The guard still needs to earn all his minutes, but he’s allowed flexibility and, most importantly, he can put up shots.
Pritchard finished strong despite the slog of a start. He hit 41.1% of his 3-pointers at a nearly identical clip from last season (41.2% on three more total attempts). His shooting skyrocketed after the All-Star break as he drained 47.3% of his 3-pointers in 22 games.
“We talked every day, couple times a day,” Terry said. “I just told him, ‘You gotta stay ready. You don’t know when your opportunity will come.’ I told him there are plenty of guys in the NBA that their career doesn’t start like they wanted. … You gotta keep your mind sharp because it can play tricks on you.”
Pritchard has shown the other parts of his game, too. It’s why he doesn’t want to be known as just a shooter — there’s more to his game, he says.
He’ll come up with the occasional offensive rebound despite being the smallest player in the area. He’ll dish assists while rarely turning the ball over. He’ll hound players on defense like he did on a play against Utah’s Jordan Clarkson to force a fast break, brining the bench to its feet.
“At the end of the day, I don’t want to be just classified as a shooter because I’m out there making plays, too,” Pritchard said. “Defensively, offensively. I’m not just a 3-point shooter; I’m a ballplayer.”
Pritchard’s sophomore season came to an end Sunday, at least for the regular season. The trials were a grind, but ones he can likely look back on and learn from. He’s improved his game steadily, learning what it takes to be a consistent NBA contributor in more normal times. Pritchard has done the work behind the scenes — that’s all he’s ever known in life.
“When you put that much time in and you work as hard as he does, you’re going to be really confident,” Viuhkola said. “I mean, you got to be. Just because you know you’ve put in more work than 99% of people in the country. That’s how much time he puts in.”
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