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The past week has been filled with uncertainty throughout the NBA due to the abundance of entrants into the league’s Health and Safety Protocols. However, there has been one silver lining: that role players such as Payton Pritchard are now getting a chance to step up and prove their worth.
Pritchard didn’t have much of a chance to play meaningful minutes through the first two months of the season due to Boston’s depth at the point guard position. However, such has changed over the last two games, during which time 10 of his teammates have either been on the injury report or in the Health and Safety Protocols.
The sophomore stepped up off the bench on both occasions, delivering a 16-point effort in a 114-107 win over the New York Knicks Saturday night and a 14-point performance in a 108-103 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers Monday night.
In those two games, Pritchard equaled his scoring total from the Celtics’ first 23 games of the season combined. He also shot the ball with the same level of unwavering confidence that we saw out of him in his rookie season, knocking down 63.2 percent of his field-goal attempts.
“For younger guys who haven't really made their niche in the league, these are our biggest opportunities to show what you can do,” Pritchard said after Monday’s game of the shorthanded situation that his Celtics and many teams around the league are dealing with. “I'm always going to be confident when I get my chance to play meaningful minutes. It just feels good to go out there these last two games and get a lot of run.”
Pritchard shot 6-of-9 from the field against Philly, while also logging three rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 22 minutes of action. The only stat he was missing was a win, as Boston coughed up a seven-point lead late in the fourth quarter thanks to a Joel Embiid-fueled Sixers rally.
It marked the second straight game in which Pritchard crossed the 20-minute mark after not doing so all season up until Saturday night. He hasn’t gotten nearly as many opportunities as he did last season due to the fact that he’s competing against the likes of Marcus Smart and Dennis Schroder for minutes, but that hasn’t affected his approach and ability to stay ready for whenever he’s called upon.
“As a competitor, it is tough,” Pritchard admitted of not getting consistent minutes. “It’s a daily thing. But for me I try to go to work every day and I try to get better and better each and every day so when my opportunity comes, like tonight, I can help my team win. And that’s the only thing I can control. So for me, it’s just when my opportunity comes, being ready and helping the team win.”
As a former role player who had to fight for minutes throughout his career, Celtics head coach can relate and respect the way in which Pritchard has handled his situation.
“He’s a guy we are extremely confident in,” Udoka said following Saturday night’s win over New York. “I've said it all year, he stays ready, he's extremely hungry, he's always in the gym ready. So you're not worried about his preparation or not being ready when the time comes.”
Over the past two games, Pritchard has proven Udoka’s point by stepping in and fitting in seamlessly alongside Boston’s limited number of healthy core members.
“I think when you’re a basketball player at this level, it’s your job,” he said of being prepared for any situation. “Whatever you’re given, you’ve got to be ready to go out there and not think about making mistakes. I know people have said that I started off on a bumpy road and all that. But for me, it’s just getting my mind back to like, when I do get my opportunity, when I go out there, I’ve got to give it everything I got defensively. And then being ready and confident offensively to knock down those shots or make the right play.”