Pritchard, Hauser headline crucial Celtics playoff depth: ‘It’s no surprise’

Before Jrue Holiday got to the Boston Celtics, he heard some chatter about some players on the team not being able to hold up on defense. Since he’s been in Boston, however, he’s come to realize the opposite. “Now that I got here, I’m like, they all play defense.”

And there’s been a certain group Holiday has been particularly impressed with.

“The white guys play defense,” Holiday said at practice on Sunday. “Everybody wants to go at them. but I think one-on-one, we’re pretty locked in on the defensive end.”

When the Celtics swapped out depth for star power this past summer, they did more than put their trust in Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. They committed to Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser taking massive leaps. And they’ve done that.

Three games into Boston’s playoff run, the two-man tandem has rounded out a Celtics rotation that has been cut down to eight men. Pritchard has logged 69 minutes, and Hauser is at 49.

“It’s no surprise,” Al Horford said of his fellow bench-mates. “They’ve been putting in the work since the beginning of camp. We’ve all come in together, and those guys have been very professional and committed to their approach. And it’s the carryover. They’ve been doing it all season, and I don’t expect any less from them. And I think now that the stage is bigger, I feel like the impact’s felt even more.”

Pritchard went through a grueling season last year. It led to trade requests and an uncertain future throughout the offseason, but the Holiday trade opened things up for him.

“It’s been great to see Payton’s progression,” Horford said. “He’s been patient. And it’s difficult when you’re a young guy, and you want to come in and play and have an impact. Having to wait. He’s taking advantage of the opportunities now. He’s starting to understand and find his way with us. So, it’s just been nice just to see him figure it out. Seeing how he can impact the game.

“And he’s the kind of guy that you want to have on your team. He works hard, he competes, he’s all about the right things, and it‘s enjoyable to play with him. It’s fun to play with Payton.”

Meanwhile, Hauser has spent the past two regular seasons slowly earning the trust of Joe Mazzulla and his teammates. He barely played in last year’s playoff run, but now, he’s an every-night guy.

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Their three-point shooting has been crucial to the Celtics’ 2-1 series lead over the Miami Heat. Pritchard has shot 3/7 (42.9%) from beyond the arc, while Hauser is a blistering-hot 7/15 (46.7%). But it’s not the only asset they bring to the table.

Pritchard spent Game 3 relentlessly chasing Tyler Herro around screens, trailing him and ensuring an uncomfortable night for the star guard. Hauser has been a target for the Heat, but he’s fit in seamlessly to Boston’s defensive scheme, switching when needed and holding his own in one-on-one matchups.

“I think the shooting is easy to pay attention to, but both of those guys defensively were really, really solid,” Mazzulla said after Game 1. “And that’s been a difference, I think, in both those guys throughout the year. Their ability to impact the game defensively is just as important as their shooting. That’s a huge strength of ours.”

Even beyond their 3-and-D abilities, Pritchard has been essential to the Celtics’ offensive pacing.

“This last game, I kind of was trying to be more aggressive in transition. The pace of the play,” Pritchard said. “Even if they make it, let’s get it out quick. And so, I just feel like I got more involved. I even got a couple of offensive rebounds. Anytime I get that, it kind of gets me going a little bit more. For me, it doesn’t mean shooting, but pushing it every time can help this team and the flow of things.”

In Game 2, the Celtics were completely taken out of their offensive rhythm. Quick decisions and up-tempo play were replaced by mismatch hunting and a bulk of isolation mid-range jumpers.

They corrected those issues in Game 3. Though their raw scoring total still hovered around the same range, their process looked completely different, and Pritchard’s constant pace was a huge part of it. Boston got back to playing the offensive style that worked for them all season.

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Defense led the way in the Celtics’ Game 3 win. They hounded Miami’s ball-handlers, contained Bam Adebayo on the inside, and shut down the Heat’s three-point attack.

As the night went on, Miami became increasingly irritated. Their frustration culminated in Herro throwing the ball off of Hauser after a foul. The Heat star picked up a technical foul, but the Celtics weren’t ready to let it end there.

Pritchard and Caleb Martin got into a scuffle following the Herro-Hauser incident. He’s always ready to back up his teammates.

“I mean, it’s just the competitiveness of the game. He threw the ball at Sam. Obviously, I’m going to be there for my teammate. We all are,” Pritchard said. “And it got a little chippy, but I’ve never been one to back down from any situation. It’s kind of the fun part of the game, though. I don’t think it’s anything crazy. It’s not like we have hatred, necessarily, off the court. But when we’re on the hardwood, we’re going to war.”

The Heat and Celtics have met in the playoffs four times in the past five years. Every season, things get heated. This pair has dominated the Eastern Conference, and they’ve done it with high-intensity basketball.

If Boston wants to get through them this time around, they need to do more than match Miami’s physicality. They need to exceed it. And it can’t come from just the top players. It needs to be a roster-wide effort — all the way down to Pritchard and Hauser.

“I’ve always been that type of player. If something gets kind of gets chippy, I’m involved,” Pritchard said. “I think it brings the best out of people. Makes me lock in more, more focused. Because at that point, you got to get each other’s best.”