Payton Pritchard’s Offseason Regimen Led Celtics In Preseason Opener Vs. Nuggets

Payton Pritchard’s immense leap from an underutilized end-of-the-bench guard to a difference-maker last season in Boston didn’t miss a beat once the Celtics picked up where they left off.

Pritchard led all scorers in Boston’s 107-103 preseason-opening win over Denver — the first of two Celtics-Nuggets matchups scheduled in Abu Dhabi this weekend — with 21 points, four rebounds and six assists. The scrappy 26-year-old shot 6-of-13 from the field, connecting on six 3-pointers in 24 minutes off the bench, helping Boston rally back from a double-digit deficit in the second half to come away victorious.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla didn’t play the premier starters — Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White — beyond the first half, which allowed Pritchard to showcase his offseason work as the primary ball handler on Friday. He wasted no time doing so either, scoring 14 points in the first half of play.

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“Getting more consistent off the dribble from the three-ball,” Pritchard told reporters postgame, per NBC Sports Boston. “I thought my finishing and my mid-range game last year took a big jump so I thought that was really good. Obviously, I’m always working on that stuff but if I can be more efficient shooting off the dribble from there, as well as the catch and shoot, that completes my game. And then defensively just finding ways to being better at taking charges, getting more hands on balls, steals and stuff like that. So, if I can make a jump just keep improving as a player.”

By the time Pritchard reached 14 points midway through the second quarter, the Celtics had shot 4-for-23 from beyond the arc. However, Pritchard, who was 4-for-6 at the time, never was discouraged — he even connected on a deep step-back three near the center court logo over Denver’s Spencer Jones.

Two seasons ago, Pritchard had doubts about his future in Boston after logging a career-low 13.4 minutes across 48 appearances — also a career low. Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens alleviated Pritchard’s concerns by giving the Oregon product a four-year, $30 million contract prior to the start of last season, taking a chance on him. Pritchard, like Friday in Abu Dhabi, aggressively capitalized on the chance to perform with extended minutes. But Pritchard isn’t done, even with a payday, an NBA Finals ring, and a role promotion in Boston.

Pritchard spent the offseason working to elevate even more. He notched career-high marks in points (9.6), rebounds (3.2), assists (3.4) and field-goal percentage (46.8%), and even led the Celtics with a 4.61 assist-to-turnover ratio — ranking 20th in the NBA — during the title-winning season. Pritchard played in each of Boston’s 82 regular-season games, drained an all-time memorable half-court heave in Game 5 of the Finals and is positioned for another career year with a locker room that’s lost only two players (Oshae Brissett and Svi Mykhailiuk).

Still, Pritchard’s confident, hustler mentality that made him a fan favorite in Boston and led Stevens to entrust him, remains a part of him.

“I’m trying to make a jump,” Pritchard told Evan Turner on the “Point Forward” podcast in August. “I think for me, I’ve always been a person that’s never been a goal setter trying to win these awards or anything like that because that’s out of my control. For me, if I can make a jump in certain areas, offensively and become even more efficient in different parts of the game. My coaches have talked about it, being able to shoot off the dribble at a higher clip — like step-backs and stuff.”