Payton Pritchard is off to a bad start this NBA season, just a month after he signed a multi-year contract extension with the Boston Celtics. With the offseason trades of Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon, Pritchard received an expanded role as the team’s primary backup point guard. Through seven games in the 2023-24 season, Pritchard is averaging 3.1 points and 3.7 assists over 18.7 minutes per game. This includes Pritchard scoring zero points in four of his last five games. Except for a blowout win against the Indiana Pacers, Pritchard has not scored double digits in a game this season. On the season, Pritchard is shooting an abysmal 23.5% from the field and an even worse 15% from beyond the arc. We are only a couple of weeks into the young season, but Pritchard’s performance may be something that should worry Celtics fans.
Payton Pritchard: Is it Time to Hit the Panic Button?
Why Payton Pritchard’s Start is Concerning
Arguably, the biggest weakness of an otherwise fantastic Celtics team this season was their depth. In addition to Smart and Brogdon, the Celtics lost Grant Williams and Robert Williams this offseason. These are both guys who were key contributors to the team. Moving long-time big man Al Horford to the bench was one thing the team did to boost their second unit. Beyond him, however, there were many question marks going into the season. With that, all eyes were on Pritchard, who played good basketball in his three-year Celtics career to this point.
Pritchard was expected to be the point guard of the second unit who could provide bench scoring next to Horford and Sam Hauser. And after an impressive preseason, it looked like Pritchard was up to the task. However, so far, it seems like Pritchard may not be the bucket-getter he appeared to be.
Outside of going 4/5 in the blowout 4th quarter of the Pacers game, Payton Pritchard is 4/29 on the season and 1/18 from deep.
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) November 9, 2023
It should be noted that Pritchard’s poor performance would not be as big a deal if the rest of the bench were excelling. The second unit’s leading scorer is Hauser, averaging 8.1 points per game. To Hauser’s credit, however, he has scored 41 total points in three of his last four games and appears to be figuring it out. Last season, the Celtics’ best bench scorer was Brogdon, averaging 14.9 points per game en route to the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award with Boston. That is nearly a seven-point difference. The reason all of this is relevant? If there were a clear, solidified scorer on the bench, Pritchard would not have these high expectations. This makes his poor scoring performances an even bigger deal than they would be.
The Last Word on Pritchard
To be blunt, Pritchard is playing the worst basketball of his career with the Celtics. There is no other way around it. This season is supposed to be his chance to shine. As it is, he looks like a deer in headlights most of the time instead. That said, it is not even close to time to hit the panic button.
As worrying as the Celtics guard’s performance has been, it is essential to remember that the NBA season is a long one. One seven-game stretch means little in the grand scheme of things. Patience is crucial in the NBA. It’s true that Pritchard’s scoring stats are bad. However, he regularly makes hustle plays that do not appear on the stat sheet. Pritchard finds other ways to make an impact, even if his shot is not falling. Also, it is important to remember that Pritchard is not a rookie anymore. We know his game type and just how good he can be when he is on fire. Ultimately, when Pritchard will fully adjust to his new role is in question. That said, he will likely snap out of this cold streak sooner rather than later.
Verdict: No need to panic just yet. Pritchard should end his slump at some point this season, just like Hauser already has. However, it is a fair concern and is something to keep an eye on.
