Sam Hauser shares what he leans on when struggles arrive

After the Boston Celtics steamrolled a shorthanded Memphis Grizzlies opponent, 131-95, Payton Pritchard shared that before his break-out performance, he had been in a mental funk. He had only made 2/11 of his field goal attempts and 4/17 three-point tries. More importantly, it was his approach that troubled him.

"I was very disappointed in myself these last two games. Kind of down in the dumps a little bit," said Pritchard after Wednesday's victory vs. the Grizzlies. "Just overthinking the last two games. Every play, [I] didn't feel like myself at all."

Elaborating on what he was dealing with and what bothered him about his recent performances, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year conveyed, "I was just kind of in a funk mentally, like just didn't play with the same juice, same energy, no pace."

Pulling himself out of that rough patch began with a haircut and leaning on his routine. From there, it was about coming to work with the mentality needed to return to playing at his standard.

"Have the mindset that I was going to come in and [it] wasn't about scoring, but it was about, when I got the ball, I'm gonna push it as fast as possible, attacking, and playing that way," voiced Pritchard. "I feel like that's -- when I'm playing that way, I'm at my best."

Driving off instinct and operating with pace translated to 24 points and nine assists in Wednesday's win. Those were both game highs. The sixth-year guard also grabbed six rebounds. He converted on eight of 15 shots and capitalized on 5/10 attempts from beyond the arc.

"Woke up this morning, just hungry to attack this game and just get back into the flow, get back in the rhythm. But just playing with instincts and pushing the pace. But yeah, it was good to bounce back from those two because I definitely wasn't myself, so it felt more like me tonight," expressed Pritchard post-game.

What Sam Hauser leans on when struggling

No player is impervious to the struggles Pritchard recently dealt with. Dealing with them is what matters most. For many, especially creatures of habit, trusting in their routine to help combat those rough patches is what gives them comfort and confidence that they'll propel themselves past those moments.

Friday at the Auerbach Center, when asked about how he handles being in a mental funk, Sam Hauser offered a perspective that represented a blunt pep talk.

"Trust your work. You know that you put so many hours in, so many shots, so much ball handling. You put all this work in, and for you to go in and not play confident, or be in a mental funk, is a slap in the face to yourself," Hauser told Hardwood Houdini. "So I think just leaning on your work, trusting your process, and sticking it to it every day."

Just as it does for Hauser, trusting the work he has put in and relying on his habits helped Pritchard put his mental funk in the rearview.