After being eliminated from the bubble by the Miami Heat, the summer of 2020 was an absolute rollercoaster ride for the Boston Celtics.
The worst of it came with Gordon Hayward’s extended contract talks along with the signing of Tristan Thompson and Jeff Teague after missing out on multiple marquee free agents.
Before that all happened, the Cs did not move any of their first-round drafts picks except for the 30th pick, which ended up being the best player of the three selections.
Desmond Bane was a projected first-round pick and nearly slipt to the second, and Boston still didn’t snatch him up. On top of that, they drafted Payton Pritchard four spots earlier, who was a projected second-round pick.
My ranting aside, there were some upsides to the summer of 2020, most notably the fact that the Boston Celtics secured Jayson Tatum to a long-term deal, created the largest trade exception in league history, and draft Pritchard.
As frustrated as any draft expert saw him go in the first-round over Bane, his talent and NBA readiness were undeniable. He turned out to be one of the draft’s biggest steals despite being taken earlier than most anticipated and provided a much-needed lift to the team’s inferior bench core.
Pritchard will now be entering his second season with the Boston Celtics, and he will be subject to a much more significant role with Kemba Walker gone.
Here are a few ways Payton Pritchard can make his transition easy over the summer as he prepares for his sophomore debut: