Latest Payton Pritchard claim is more true than people want to admit

Few are surprised by how impressive the Boston Celtics have been to begin the season. They were the best team in the league for all of last season, and though the Cleveland Cavaliers still have a better record, the Celtics are still the reigning champs and only 0.5 games behind them.

But despite the lack of surprise with the team, one guy has given the guys in green a bit of a shock factor—Payton Pritchard. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White are still leading the Celtics in scoring, but Pritchard is right behind them. He’s been one of the most important teams on arguably the best team in the NBA this year.

And Joe Mazzulla had a wild claim after Pritchard’s latest awe-inspiring performance.

Payton Pritchard is one of the best scorers in the NBA

After the Celtics’ NBA Cup win over the Chicago Bulls, Mazzulla called Pritchard one of the best three-level scorers he’s ever seen.

“I just think it's important, returning the exact same team, to find a different weapon and a different identity, and I think he really works at it,” Mazzulla said. “And like I said, the key to him is he finds different ways to impact games, but he's grown as a player over the course of his career. 

“You saw tonight, it was his shooting, but that rebound that he got was timely. And just his ball pressure and his defense. So, he's a complete player. I know it sounds weird, but he's one of the best three-level scorers that I've seen, especially for his size, and he's just a high-level competitor.”

Calling Pritchard one of the best three-level scorers might sound like a stretch, but based on the way he’s been scoring this season, it looks like the truth.

A quick look at his shot chart, and it’s clear that he’s been one of the most efficient scorers in the league from almost every spot on the floor.

https://x.com/NoaDalzell/status/1862893676097081428

Pritchard has been the best shot-maker on the Celtics this year, and they have the best offense in the league. He’s taken the fourth-most shots on the team, made the third-most threes, and has the best three-point percentage. Of all players with at least 100 threes attempted, Pritchard is sixth in efficiency (44.0%).

This year, Pritchard has even expanded his offensive game. He’s been able to take the ball down low, get bigs in the air, and finish at the rim.

His 29-point performance (including 19 in the fourth quarter) against the Bulls on Saturday night was just the latest in a line of incredible performances for the Celtics guard.

The eye test says that Pritchard is one of the best all-around scorers in the league, and the numbers back that up. People just may not be ready to have those conversations.