3 Studs, 3 duds from Celtics win in preseason opener vs. Nuggets
By Jack Simone
Stud - Payton Pritchard
Anyone who looks at the box score for this game could tell you how well Payton Pritchard played because he absolutely filled up the stat sheet.
By the time he checked out for good, Pritchard tallied 21 points, four rebounds, and six assists while shooting 6-of-13 from the field and 6-of-12 from behind the three-point line.
The Celtics guard picked up right where he left off in the Finals and was an absolute laser from beyond the arc. That’s exactly what the Celtics will need from him next season.
Jrue Holiday and Derrick White played basketball all summer with Team USA, so if Pritchard can pick up some slack during the regular season, they could sneak in some extra rest.
Pritchard has always been a great scorer, but it feels as though the Celtics could utilize him a bit more. This preseason game was great evidence for that fact.
If he gets enough touches, there’s no reason Pritchard couldn’t find himself in Sixth Man of the Year conversations next year. That’s how efficient he is with the basketball in his hand.
Whenever the ball found him in this one, it was almost automatic. He even nailed a shot to end a quarter, because of course he did.