The Celtics have arguably the best 6-man rotation in the NBA. That group includes long-time starter Al Horford who agreed to move to the bench this year to make way for Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday in the starting five. Despite the firepower contained in that group, there have been other parts of the Boston bench that have been just as pivotal to Boston’s successful as Horford in recent weeks. Payton Pritchard is probably at the top of that list.
The fourth-year guard led Boston in scoring in Friday’s 101-100 win over the Kings, with 21 points off the bench to go with three assists and two steals. Pritchard also made five 3s in the win, giving him five or more makes from 3-point range in 10 career games off the bench which is a franchise record.
Since the All-Star Break, Pritchard is one of eight Celtics players averaging in double figures with all eight members of that group shooting 38 percent or better from 3-point range. More importantly, Pritchard has been a catalyst for the Celtics bench, jumpstarting the team after slow starts as seen on Friday night when the team mustered just three points in the opening six minutes against Sacramento.
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Pritchard has done well all year long infusing the team with energy on both ends in his minutes and he’s showed himself to be more valuable than just a spot reserve. Instead, he considers himself a leader off the bench.
“It can be different every night, but I think the biggest thing is making sure we get a good shot every time,” Pritchard said. “And like, making sure people are in the right spots, who needs the ball at certain times, when’s the right time to be aggressive. But like I said, the biggest thing is getting a good shot every time, which we didn’t turn it over, we got good shots.”
As the Celtics put together their final preparations for the postseason, Pritchard will be front and center getting big minutes while the veterans rest up. That means bigger opportunities for him like we saw Friday night and those are chances he embraces.
“I mean, I enjoyed it,” Pritchard said of the win. “They had something they’re fighting for. I know our seeding is pretty locked up, but every opportunity we have, every game we have — I don’t like losing, I don’t think anybody likes losing, so we’re trying to win. And obviously we’re working on things but winning is the biggest priority always.”
Ultimately, Pritchard has played well enough in the last few months to not worry about his opportunities slipping away later this month. The Celtics bench has been a crucial part of Boston’s success all year and going away from it in the postseason should no longer be the default option for Mazzulla. The Celtics need Pritchard’s energy no matter who they are playing and he showed that yet again in Friday’s win.
