Former NBA champion Brian Scalabrine spoke recently on Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce’s podcast about Payton Pritchard. He praised Pritchard for his resiliency and toughness and claimed that if he were given a starting spot on an NBA team, he could average 27 points and 8 assists a game.
“They don’t know how good Payton Pritchard is. They think he’s just alright. When he gets a chance to start, that dude is going to get 27 and 8. You know how hard it is to get 27 and 8?”
“He had five games in a row where he had 20 points and 6 assists in the first half. That’s never been done by any Celtics ever. Remember, the starters got disrespected. What do you think the bench guys got last year? They got disrespected as well.”
Brian Scalabrine says Payton Pritchard could average 27 and 8 if he were a full-time starter 👀
(🎥 @allthesmokeprod )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 13, 2024
Scalabrine has given Pritchard a massive vote of confidence with his recent comments. There is no denying that Pritchard is a massively important player for the Celtics, especially because he comes off the bench and provides scoring, playmaking, and strong defense for the Celtics.
Last season, en route to the Celtics winning the NBA championship, Pritchard averaged 9.6 points, 3.4 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 0.5 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game. This season, he has taken a massive leap in scoring, averaging 16.2 points, 2.9 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game.
Considering how well he is playing this season, Scalabrine’s comments definitely have some validity. But for now, Pritchard seems happy playing a supporting role on a championship team like the Celtics. But don’t be surprised if Pritchard eventually looks for a bigger role on the Celtics, or on another team in the NBA that is willing to give him that.
Payton Pritchard Could Play Even Bigger Role This Season
After seeing his stats from last season and this season, it is clear that Pritchard has taken a massive leap in his performance level. It is clear that Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla trusts Pritchard even more, and is giving him more opportunities to show his talents off.
Pritchard entered the NBA in 2020, as he was selected with the 26th overall pick in the draft by the Celtics. Since then, under three different head coaches – Brad Stevens, Ime Oduka, and Joe Mazzulla – Pritchard has been able to earn a spot in the rotation through his grit and determination, while always being ready to perform at the level required by his coaches.
The Celtics are glad to have Pritchard on the team, as he has proven that he can be a solid ball-handler and scorer for them. In fact, he has earned the respect of his teammates, with Jaylen Brown recently saying that Pritchard could start for the Celtics against weaker teams and still help them win by a large margin of points.
Will Pritchard remain with the Celtics for the foreseeable future? If he continues playing at a high level, then he might want to try his hand at a bigger role on another NBA team.
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