The Boston Celtics are enjoying a very successful regular season campaign so far this year. It’s no surprise. They brought back a nearly identical roster to the one that won a championship less than a year ago, and a bunch of guys improved. The most notable improvement has been Payton Pritchard, who is a current favorite to win the Sixth Man of the Year award.
Pritchard has taken on a huge role for the Celtics and is currently fourth on the team in scoring (and inching closer to Derrick White in third every day). His three-point shooting has been a catalyst for Boston’s success this season.
He’s even drawing some All-Star-level comparisons.
Payton Pritchard draws comparison to Fred VanVleet
During a recent episode of the Kevin O’Connor Show, Ekam Nagra of Ball Don’t Stop compared Pritchard to Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet.
“I think Pritchard is having the same ascension as a Fred VanVleet was when he was in Toronto,” said Nagra. “Very similar ascension that we’re witnessing with Pritchard.”
Before joining the Rockets a couple of years ago, VanVleet rose up from a bench player to an All-Star with the Toronto Raptors, enjoying some of the best years of his career alongside Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby.
In his lone All-Star season in 2021-22, VanVleet averaged 20.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.7 assists while shooting 40.3% from the floor and 37.7% from behind the three-point line.
Now, VanVleet is a core part of the Rockets’ success, as they are sitting toward the top of the Western Conference standings this season.
The comparisons are easy to make between Pritchard and VanVleet. Both are very small guards, and both can shoot the ball well. Pritchard has been much most efficient historically, but that could also be due to the volume discrepancy.
On top of that, both are underrated defenders for their size. VanVleet is a quality piece of the puzzle in Houston, and Pritchard doesn’t get enough credit for the work he puts in on that end.
Obviously, when VanVleet made the All-Star team in Toronto, he was partially leading the charge, so for Pritchard to reach that same glory, he would have to take an even bigger jump because of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown being in front of him.
That said, the trajectory is there, and perhaps there’s a world where Pritchard matches VanVleet’s past accomplishments. Even now, he’s not too far off.