Payton Pritchard has looked like a promising rookie this season. While no one would say that he is a star as of now, Pritchard has shown great signs with his shooting from beyond the arc, averaging 41.1% from 3PT range. He has also shown some defensive skills during his season with the Boston Celtics. There is no question that he has a great future ahead of him.
The NBA may have a fair amount of players who are better than Pritchard, but it seems as though there is no match for him among the non-NBA competition. In a recent Pro-Am, Payton Pritchard scored 92 points, with his team winning 165-163. It is clear that there was no stopping Pritchard, and that he was willing to trade buckets with another NBA guard, Mike James, who finished with 70 points and 8 assists. While Pritchard may be in a small role in the NBA, he is still on another level to amateur basketball players.
Payton Pritchard ( @paytonpritch3 ) had 92 points and Mike James ( @TheNatural_05 ) had 70 points 8 assists in the Portland Pro am 🤯🤯🔥 the buckets off the dribble are nasty 🎥 @ssvisualworks pic.twitter.com/GKL81wrOwJ
— Swish Cultures (@swishcultures_) August 15, 2021
Payton Pritchard went for 92 points today in a Pro-Am tournament to get the win 165-163 😳 pic.twitter.com/gqT5LdRqMx
— League Alerts (@LeagueAlerts) August 15, 2021
NBA players being able to put up ridiculous stats against non-NBA competition makes sense, as they are simply on a different level from the rest of the people there. Former Celtics star Isaiah Thomas dropped 81 points in a Pro-Am before, in an attempt to show that he’s ready to get back in the league. It seems as though Payton Pritchard has followed in the former Celtics path. While he may not ever reach the heights of Isaiah Thomas in a Celtic uniform, Payton Pritchard is certainly a solid player.
While the level of competition obviously has to be taken into account, this game is a good sign of things to come for the rookie, and perhaps we’ll see Payton Pritchard take a jump this season. The Boston Celtics need some players to step up alongside Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, and Pritchard will certainly have more opportunity next season.
