Payton Pritchard knows his role with the Boston Celtics. He'll hope that role is more consistent in Year 3 of his NBA career than it was a season ago.
Boston's 2021 offseason acquisition of Dennis Schroder meant sporadic playing time for Pritchard, who made a name for himself as a sharpshooter off the bench as a rookie. The inconsistent minutes clearly had a negative impact on Pritchard's shooting.
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SIGN UP HERE Before Schroder was traded to the Houston Rockets on Feb. 10, Pritchard shot 38.5 percent from the floor while averaging 4.8 points in 12.2 minutes per game. After the Schroder deal, he boosted those numbers to 48.2 percent and 8.6 points in 17.4 minutes per game. The 24-year-old proved that with consistent playing time, he can bring a spark to the Celtics' second unit.
So, how can Pritchard maximize his impact with the C's in 2022-23? Here, we spotlight Fast PP's accomplishments from his first two seasons in the league and discuss how he can improve in Year 3.
Pritchard's 2021-22 stats
- Regular season: 6.2 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 2.0 apg, 0.4 spg, 42.9 percent FG, 41.2 percent 3PT (71 games)
- Postseason: 4.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.6 apg, 0.3 spg, 42.2 percent FG, 33.3 percent 3PT
Pritchard's contract situation
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Pritchard is entering the third year of his four-year, $10.5 million rookie contract with the Celtics. He has a club option for the 2023-24 season.
What role will Pritchard play on the 2022-23 Celtics?
Pritchard again will look to provide a scoring punch off the bench. But just like the first half of last season, finding consistency could prove to be a challenge.
The Celtics added Malcolm Brogdon to a suddenly-loaded backcourt that also includes Marcus Smart and Derrick White. Unless Boston unloads one of those players ahead of the 2022-23 season, Pritchard will be the last guard in the pecking order.
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There's also the Danilo Gallinari acquisition, which gives the C's an additional bench scorer. Pritchard still should be a factor with his perimeter shooting, but it's hard to believe he'll see an increase in playing time with this current roster. There simply are too many mouths to feed.
Pritchard's season will be a success if ...
... He improves as an off-ball guard.
Pritchard doesn't need to prove he can shoot the basketball. If the Celtics need a spark off the bench, there's a good chance Pritchard can provide it. But to earn more minutes with the 2022-23 team, he'll need to take a step forward as an off-ball guard.
His improvement in that department last year earned him head coach Ime Udoka's trust, resulting in more minutes off the bench. Continuing to develop into a more complete player will be necessary as he looks to carve out a consistent role with Boston next season.
Biggest obstacle to Pritchard's success
No path to consistent minutes.
It's difficult for any shooter to perform at a high level when playing time is sporadic. Pritchard was a prime example of that last season when Schroder, Josh Richardson, and Romeo Langford were in the mix. If the Celtics enter the 2022-23 season with Brogdon, Smart, and White, Pritchard might find himself in a similar position.
Projected stats and prediction for Pritchard's 2022-23 season
Projected stats: 6.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.1 apg, 0.5 spg, 43.1 percent FG, 41.7 percent 3PT
Pritchard will resume his role as a bench scorer who averages roughly 15 minutes per game. Without a significant boost in playing time, he'll likely finish with numbers similar to last season. We project a slight increase in his shooting percentages as we're optimistic he'll get off to a better start than he did a year ago.
