Boston Celtics Payton Pritchard brings the energy in bounce back game against Miami Heat

After losing Game 2, I remember looking at the box score and noticing that not only did Payton Pritchard not score, but he didn’t attempt a shot.

Celtics fans know Pritchard isn’t afraid to look for his shot, and it’s his confidence in his ability that makes him a great scoring option from the bench. Seeing him not attempt a shot in 20 minutes of game time was shocking.

“Payton is one of the most confident guys I’ve ever been around … He walks out there like he’s the best player, and to have that confidence is special. And we need him to be like that,” Tatum said. “He’s being aggressive on both ends, being able to attack closeouts and create his own shots [and] create for others. To have that off the bench is special.”

In Game 3, Pritchard only scored seven points, but it was his aggressiveness with the ball and his energy that helped the Celtics build a double-digit lead at halftime.

Pritchard scored all seven of his points in the 14 minutes he played in the first half. He was attacking the lane and looking for his spots, which is something Boston needs when most of Miami’s defensive game plan is to contain guys like Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis. Payton shot 3-5 for the half, but it was the energy he brought that helped the Celtics keep their momentum.

In the first half, Pritchard skied to grab an offensive rebound that he had no business winning. After grabbing the board between three Miami Heat players, Pritchard scored the layup.

You can see after the layup, Pritchard is yelling to the bench expressing himself and you can tell how much the bench loves the effort and energy.

In the second half, although he didn’t score, Pritchard also stood up for his teammate Sam Hauser. After Hauser fouled Tyler Herro, Herro shoved the ball back at Hauser which resulted in a technical foul. Hauser and Herro continued to jaw at one another and Pritchard came in to step up for Hauser.

These are the little things I like to see from players. It shows they will fight for one another and will step up when needed.

When a team loses, you want to see players step up in the next game and that is what Pritchard did. It wasn’t the flashiest game in his career, but he did what Boston needed him to do: score points, maintain and provide energy and hustle plays, and play defense. When a confident Pritchard is doing that, it gives the Celtics another weapon on the offensive side of the ball.

Miami is going to try and respond to avoid going down 3-1 and Pritchard will need to bring the same energy he did in Game 3 to give his team a good chance of returning to Boston needing one more win to advance.