While Payton Pritchard has had his moments throughout the young season, he had yet to truly show off his best skill: shooting. It’s a big reason why the Celtics signed him to a four-year extension as the sharpshooter has proven that ability throughout his career.
Still, going into Monday’s game against the Hornets, Pritchard was just 10-for-41 (24.4%) on his 3-pointers on the season. Considering he’s a career 39.1% 3-point shooter, the makes were bound to come. They finally did Monday in Charlotte. Despite the Celtics faltering in a 121-118 loss to the Hornets, Pritchard was a bright spot.
The Oregon product finished with a season-high 21 points, hitting 8-of-14 of his field goals — namely, he was 5-for-8 on his 3-pointers. That’s a breath of relief for C’s fans as Pritchard was going to break out of his slump eventually.
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It wasn’t just the made 3-pointers for Pritchard, though. C’s coach Joe Mazzulla turned to a bench-heavy lineup to start the fourth quarter with guys like Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet, Svi Mykhailiuk and Oshae Brissett joining Pritchard. That’s when he took hold of the game for a few minutes with a huge stretch, whether it was setting up his teammates for a couple buckets or scoring himself.
The Celtics need more of that aggressive Pritchard, much like he showed during the preseason. Mazzulla pointed out that even if Pritchard wasn’t hitting shots, he still brought other elements to the table. Areas like defensive intensity and crashing the boards, he said. But the C’s will hope Pritchard gains some confidence after his best game of the young season.
While the Celtics employ arguably the best top-6 in the league, they’ll need all they can get from those bench pieces over a long season. In the playoffs, too, when Pritchard and Sam Hauser’s shooting can provide some valuable spacing in a slower game.
The early returns from both Pritchard and Hauser have impressed. Hauser got the start with Derrick White (personal reasons) and Al Horford (back-to-back) both out Monday. He’s been the Celtics’ seventh man throughout the season, and that’s been rewarded. Pritchard also figures into that conversation as Monday was a positive step for him to keep providing value for the Celtics.
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