With his 42-point performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Payton Pritchard finally showed what the Boston Celtics have been waiting for: Proof that he can be so much more than what he’s been this year. Pritchard is more than a sixth man. He’s more than a starter. He has the talent to be a legitimate second scoring option on a playoff team.
Jaylen Brown struggled to get the ball rolling on Sunday night against the Cavs. (A fair turn of events after his 41-point game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday, the night prior.) But when the Celtics needed a guy to pick up the scoring load, Pritchard was right there.
But it was about more than just the points alone.
Celtics now know Payton Pritchard can be their No. 2
Pritchard didn’t just score 42 points. It wasn’t a catch-and-shoot fest. He wasn’t simply capitalizing on the offensive creation of others like Brown or Derrick White (who was out on Sunday).
Instead, he took matters into his own hands. From the very start of the game, Pritchard was creating for himself, attacking the Cavs’ defense, which is the 11th-best in the league.
They were without Jarrett Allen, Lonzo Ball, and others, but Boston was also missing guys, as White and Neemias Queta were both sidelined.
Pritchard took it upon himself to score on all three levels, meticulously picking on the weak links in Cleveland’s defense. Darius Garland, in particular, was his attack point of choice for most of the evening.
In the first quarter, Pritchard saw Garland on him in transition, and he went to work. He dribbled in, stepped back, and drained a three in his face. From that point forward, it was clockwork.
He finished the night 4-of-6 against Garland, and two of his makes were in the final five minutes of the contest, after the Cavs had fought their way back into it.
Both times, he dragged Garland out above the top of the key, drove in, and got a mid-range shot, shaking off the Cavs star. The second was even over the outstretched hand of Evan Mobley, who helped up from the paint. And Pritchard shook off Brown at the start of the play. He knew it was his time to work.
Pritchard endured a rough start to the season from deep range. His three-ball wasn’t there. But throughout that time, he was still scoring inside, cooking opposing defenses in the paint.
Now that his three-point shot is going down more consistently, he’s proving that he can be a real threat on the offensive end. Pritchard is more than capable of backing up Brown as this team’s No. 2 scoring option.
And that’s exactly what he should be.