The Celtics have overcome a lot this season and defied the odds to put themselves in a position to make a run at a title now that the team is whole. They asked players to take on bigger roles throughout the season, and pretty much everyone was able to rise to the occasion when needed.
Now, with everyone back healthy, players have shifted back into more natural roles, but it’s good to know that they are still perfectly capable of stepping up and carrying a bigger load on occasion. Nobody better exemplifies that than Payton Pritchard.
Through his career, Fast PP has developed from a stay-ready guy to a solid role player to the best sixth man in the NBA. There’s no doubt that he could have an even bigger role on many teams around the league, and whenever Boston needs that, he goes out and proves it, just as he has in the team’s last two wins.
Friday night, the team was without Jaylen Brown, and Pritchard stepped in to take on the offensive burden, going for 36 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists on 13-23 shooting and 6-11 threes off the bench in a big win over the Hawks. Then on Sunday, the team was missing JB and Derrick White, so Pritchard was thrust into the starting lineup and produced 28 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists on 10-18 shooting as the team crushed the Hornets.
Pritchard can be the Celtics’ best player on any given night
Realistically, Pritchard probably couldn’t put up these kinds of numbers consistently if he were asked to do so every night. But the fact that it seems like he can pull out these performances on occasions when needed just shows that he’s the ultimate team player.
He’s no longer one of the stay-ready guys, but he still embodies that stay-ready mentality that emanates through this team. Success stories like PP, who have graduated to bigger roles, help motivate the players who are just fighting for minutes on the fringe of the rotation now. They can clearly see there’s a bigger opportunity out there if they are patient and earn the role.
That’s what Pritchard did, and now he’s one of the best and most important players on a Finals contender. A time will come in the playoffs when the team is struggling, and they need an offensive spark. Knowing there’s a player on the bench who is more than qualified to come in and give you 30 points on any given night is a massive luxury, and it’s a huge part of what makes the Celtics such a dangerous team in the postseason.