Boston Celtics rookie Payton Pritchard proved a lot during his four-year collegiate career. Now, he must prove what he can do at the NBA level.
At 6-2, 190lbs Payton Pritchard does not look like your typical NBA guard, but he has a versatile skill set that could suit the Boston Celtics.
For starters, the point guard is one of the best shooters from this 2020 draft class, along with fellow rookie, Aaron Nesmith.
Pritchard ranks second all-time on Oregon’s 3-point field goals made list and is coming off a season where he shot over 41 percent from downtown. If you take a look at Pritchard’s scouting tape, you will quickly realize that he will have no problem transitioning to the NBA 3-point line.
Pritchard is a proven shooter off the pass, but has shown the ability to create for himself off the dribble.
Shooters are a hot commodity in the NBA and the Cs hover around the middle of the league in 3-point shooting.
Boston could really use a boost from the bench after finishing last season 29th in bench points per game and 24th in bench 3-point percentage. It is no coincidence that Danny Ainge and company used two picks on known shooters.
There is a clear need for a player like Payton Pritchard off the team’s bench.
Throughout his career at Oregon, Pritchard also managed to improve his skills as a facilitator.
The point guard had over 100 more assists than any other Oregon Duck last season, despite being the clear-cut leading scorer.
Pritchard is a score-first guard, but his ability to distribute will certainly help out a Boston team that ranked 25th in assists per game last season.
The Celtics played a lot of hero ball last year and could benefit from more ball movement in order to create open looks for shooters.
To earn a roster spot and playing time, Pritchard must improve on the defensive end.
He is not going to be the most athletic guy on the court, so he has to be quicker in order to stay in front of NBA wings.
On the same note, the rookie’s size and length are a disadvantage as taller point guards are seemingly becoming more common around the league. However, I would not be too concerned about Pritchard’s size as long as he improves his foot speed.
One more area in which he could fine-tune is taking care of the ball.
Although Pritchard’s assists increased each season at Oregon, so, too, did his turnovers. I don’t believe we should be actively concerned by this, but it’s something to be aware of as he will have to go up against much smarter and more athletic defenders than he did in college.
Overall, this was a smart pick for Boston.
Some fair player comparisons include Patty Mills and Jalen Brunson. We will see how quickly Pritchard will develop but, ideally, he will turn into a much-needed spark plug off the bench for the Boston Celtics.