From struggling to crack head coach Joe Mazzulla’s rotation last season to emerging as a potential game-changer for the team, Payton Pritchard has come a long way. This season, the Boston Celtics are hot favorites to win it all. They’ve dominated the Eastern Conference throughout the season, ending with a league-best 64-18 record in the regular season. No surprise there. Their roster is overflowing with talent. Their top six are arguably the most talented in the league. And the late-season emergence of Payton Pritchard is just the cherry on top.

Payton Pritchard was born to Terry and Melissa Pritchard on January 28, 1998. The 6’1″ guard grew up with his siblings, Anthony, Taylor, and Lexie, in Tualatin, Oregon. Pritchard’s basketball journey began in high school when he led West Linn High School to four straight state titles while winning the 2014 and 2015 Todd Pratt Player of the Year. Following a successful high school career, Pritchard committed to Oregon University and quickly established himself as one of the best players in the nation.

Despite being a freshman, he played a significant role for the Ducks during the 2016-17 season. He played in 39 games, averaging 7.4 points and 3.6 assists per game, and when the team qualified for the Final Four for the first time, he was the only freshman to start the game. As a sophomore, Pritchard averaged 14.5 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game as the only returning starter on the team from the previous season.

While his junior year was laced with injuries, he still managed to lead the Ducks to an improbable Pac-12 championship, averaging 12.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. But his final season in college was the one that solidified his status as one of the best guards in the country. He finished his senior year with 20.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game, a Pac-12 Player of the Year award, a consensus All-American selection, and the Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s best point guard. Pritchard then entered the league as the 26th overall pick by the Boston Celtics in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Payton Pritchard’s growth this season

For most of the last season, Pritchard was stuck behind Malcolm Brogdon on the Celtics bench. However, Brogdon’s departure to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of the Jrue Holiday deal allowed Pritchard to step into a bigger role. Before the 2023–24 season, Pritchard and the Celtics agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $30 million. During an appearance on The Greg Hill Show, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck commented on the extension, stating, “We made it clear to him and his agent that if you stay here, you’re going to get playing time – gotta earn it, but we want you here. Here’s a four-year deal. We locked him in over the summer, believing in him.”

And the gamble paid massive dividends. Over the last two months, Pritchard has shown immense growth as a scorer and a playmaker. In the penultimate game of the regular season, Pritchard lit up the scoreboards with his 31-point, 11-assist on 63.6% shooting efficiency from the field. He followed up this impressive performance with an even better one in the final game against the Washington Wizards, putting up 38 points, 12 assists, and nine rebounds while shooting 71% from the field and 66.7% from the deep. The 26-year-old finished the 2023-24 regular season with 9.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists a game while appearing in all 82 games.

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With the Boston Celtics kicking off their playoffs today with the first-round series against the Miami Heat, he will be an interesting player to watch this postseason.