After his senior year of high school, a poll conducted by The Oregonian ranked Payton Pritchard as the eighth-best Oregon boy’s basketball player of all time. Only two players ranked above him stayed in the state for college – AC Green (Oregon State) and Terrell Brandon (Oregon).
Only one of those players led their team to the Final Four – Pritchard. In his freshman year with the Ducks, Pritchard helped Oregon get the furthest they’ve been in the NCAA Tournament since they won it all in 1939.
When it comes to basketball in Oregon, there are few who compare to Pritchard. So when the Boston Celtics travel to the Pacific Northwest for their yearly visit to Moda Center, it’s a Pritchardpalooza.
A sea of green flooded an arena that’s supposed to be populated by red and black, but it wasn’t only Celtics jerseys that made up the stain. With the amount of love the crowd showed Pritchard, there were undoubtedly some green Ducks jerseys with his No. 3 on the back.
Pritchard earned his first start of the season in the Celtics’ win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.
He ended the game with 11 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists while shooting 5-of-11 from the field and 1-of-4 from distance. His tenacious rebounding and methodical pick-n-roll play helped Boston maintain a comfortable lead for most of the night.
But while Pritchard’s near-triple-double was enough to fill up the stat sheet, head coach Joe Mazzulla had his eyes elsewhere.
“The best thing about Payton that people don’t appreciate is his defense and his tenacity,” Mazzulla said. “We all know he can score. We all know he can shoot. But his level of defensive intensity has been huge for us throughout this year. He’s really developed a role in his defense and his rebounding.”
Mazzulla has made it a point to credit Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and Luke Kornet for their defense on a consistent basis. Two three-point specialists and a former G Leaguer, Boston’s bench has quietly been one of the best defensive units in the league.
The Celtics’ bench has the seventh-best defensive rating in the NBA this season (53.9) and the best net rating (5.5). As for Pritchard’s individual play, he’s only allowing 0.54 points per possession in isolation this year. That number ranks him in the 98th percentile (with a limited sample size), per Bobby Manning of CLNS Media.
Pritchard’s only allowing 0.54 PPP defending in isolation this year. Limited sample, but that ranks in the 98th pct. https://t.co/HG7T0qx52L
— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) March 12, 2024
Away games in Portland, though just once a year, will always be a day for Pritchard to shine. Mazzulla knew the moment, and with Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis sidelined, Pritchard got the start, and he made the most of it.
After a year of uncertainty last season, Pritchard’s extension this summer solidified his standing in Boston. Highlighted by an impressive hometown showing on Monday, he’s proven to be worth every penny.
