After being a late first-round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and mostly riding the pine for his first few years with the Celtics, there wasn’t a ton of reason to believe he’d develop into a borderline star player. Coming out of college after four years at 6’1”, he didn’t exactly profile as an elite prospect, and the fact that he wasn’t making an immediate impact after an amazing college career was concerning.
But Pritchard certainly never lost belief. In fact, he was confident enough to request a trade away from a Celtics team that was a perennial title contender in hopes of earning more playing time elsewhere and establishing himself in the league.
Thankfully, Brad Stevens didn’t honor the trade request, and in the following years traded away other guards, including Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon, and Jrue Holiday, paving the way for Pritchard and allowing him to flourish as a sixth man, and now, a key cog in the Celtics' offense as they chase another title.
Brad Stevens always believed in Payton Pritchard
Stevens obviously saw the vision and had confidence, as did Pritchard, and the joint faith has been rewarded with Payton recently inking a two-year, $44.2 million max contract extension. In a recent media appearance, Pritchard spoke about his trade request several years ago.
"At that time I wasn't playing. It's a little delusional confidence that I have, but it's from my work and all the hours I put in. I believed that I could help this team win and at a high level. Many people didn't believe in it at that time, or thought I was crazy. But I truly believed that. Obviously, things opened up for me and it worked out."
And saying that it worked out is a massive understatement. Now, Pritchard is one of the best guards in the league, and even with his new contract, he’s one of the best values. Almost every player who makes the NBA is confident, but Payton’s belief in himself shows what kind of person he is and explains the player he has become.
The talent has helped, but his work ethic has helped make him who he is. Thankfully, the Celtics were wise enough to see it and realize the potential, even at a time when he was buried on the depth chart, and they bought stock early on.
All-Star leap in play for Pritchard this season
That investment has paid off massively, and that should only continue as Pritchard ages and grows into an even bigger role in Boston. With the departure of Jaylen Brown, Payton’s role should be larger than ever, and he’s primed to take another leap, possibly even becoming the number-two option for the Celtics this season behind Jayson Tatum.
Pritchard has passed every test of his career with flying colors and continues to meet adversity head-on and overcome it. Maybe this career outcome was unlikely, but don’t tell him that.
Given everything we’ve seen, it would be crazy to bet against Pritchard, and the idea that he could rise to an even higher level and get his name into the All-Star conversation while helping Boston compete for a title is not at all out of the question, despite how crazy it may have seemed just a few years ago. And we owe it all to a little bit of delusional, but ultimately healthy confidence.
Add us as a preferred source on Google