The Celtics guess on Payton Pritchard this summer time. After a irritating third season by which his position diminished, he was promised an even bigger one with the Marcus Smart commerce. The Celtics backed it up with a contract extension.
But even after a powerful preseason, the early returns weren’t constructive. Pritchard went on a chilly spell to begin the season. In a five-game stretch, he went scoreless in 4 of them. In the opposite, he scored 15 however all of them got here within the fourth quarter of a blowout win over the Pacers. On Friday, he admitted that doubt began to creep in.
“I think it started messing with me mentally a little bit,” Pritchard stated. “But then I went back to what made me a great shooter in the first place. So I just dialed it back into that. It’s just kind of just a mental game. It starts to kind of affect you, start second-guessing shots. At the end of the day, you put in too much work. So I just believe in myself.”
That work and that perception carried Pritchard by means of a attempting season final yr. And it paid off once more in Friday’s win over the Nets, by which Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla credited Pritchard with altering the sport. Pritchard continued to depend on impacting the sport in methods past scoring. He stayed energetic defensively. He made hustle performs. He crashed the offensive glass and got here down with 4 offensive rebounds. And then – lastly – the pictures began falling once more.
While that is the position Pritchard has desperately wished, there’s been an adjustment interval. He’s getting used to the second unit and a few new teammates. He’s determining the place he suits and the way he can impression a sport. But even by means of the struggles, he had full assist from Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla.
“Joe came to me and he was like, ‘You’re going to continue to play,’” stated Pritchard, who completed with 13 factors on Friday. “It’s like, you keep impacting winning in other areas and that’s all that matters. Shots are going to fall. They’re going to make sometimes, but got to keep finding other ways, too.”
“I think I missed, what, 11 in a row, since the Indiana game? I’m not going to do that much. And they know that. I’ve shown through my career here with the Celtics that I’m not going to do that much. They just believe in me, keep going. But always trying to find an impact in other ways. Defensively, offensive rebounds. Any way I can help the team win.”
Pritchard was doing that after which some on Friday. There was the offensive rebound off his personal miss that he changed into his personal nook 3-pointer that pushed the Celtics to an 8-0 run within the first quarter. There was a steal in transition. There was the offensive rebound off his personal free throw miss that led to a layup. Another offensive board that led to a Sam Hauser 3-pointer within the fourth quarter.
The 6-foot-1 Pritchard’s 4 offensive rebounds tied his profession excessive and led to eight second-chance factors for the Celtics.
“It’s just leaving an impact on the game,” Pritchard stated.
There’s a distinct expectation now for Pritchard now that he has a brand new contract and an expanded position, however he’s attempting to restrict the distractions.
“To be honest with you, I have been off social media and I haven’t been looking,” Pritchard stated. “So I figured people are like coming at me. But it’s part of playing in Boston and that’s what I like about it. So I wouldn’t want to play anywhere else. If I’m playing bad, I want to hear it, but I’ll get it back.”
Pritchard by no means panicked over his powerful stretch. He’s been by means of slumps earlier than. It’s a part of being a shooter. He maintained confidence in himself. He knew he would get by means of the opposite aspect.
“Like this is just making me better,” Pritchard stated. “This is part of the journey. You know, these slumps, I think at the end of the day will pay dividends and will make me a better player overall. Like I’m not hitting shots, so these last couple of games, I had to find other ways to impact it. So it’s making me an all-around player and not just a shooter. So it’s part of the game.”
The Celtics will clearly rely closely on their gifted beginning 5 all through the season, however Pritchard stays a priceless piece of their championship pursuit. There might be moments, like Friday, that they’re going to want him. While there have been legitimate questions concerning the depth of this staff, Friday’s efficiency was an enormous step in the proper course.
“He can hit shots from the parking lot if you let him, and he also is a great offensive rebounder,” Jaylen Brown stated. “So him playing well and him being confident in himself is going to be good for us down the line.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com