Celtics fans saw it all from Payton Pritchard in the Celtics win over Chicago. First of all, he pulled down seven rebounds, and four of those were off the offensive glass. He uses his lack of height to be all-but-invisible when an errant shot comes off the glass or rim. He has great timing and the physical strength to hang onto the ball.
His 29 points were the second-team highest behind only Jayson Tatum. Payton shot 10-of-16 from the field - 7-of-11 on threes - and 2-of-2 from the free throw line.
His terrific body control are most on display when Pritchard takes the ball all the way to the hoop. Not being particularly quick, he needs that body control to finish on his drives - and it works.
Above is the game shot chart for Pritchard. No mid-range for him, apparently. It was go for the long ball or take it in.
Payton is already in the conversation for 6th-Man-Of-The-Year, and just keeps getting better as the season progresses. The last Celtic to cop the John Havlicek Award was Malcolm Brogdon in 2023. This could be Payton's year to get the recognition he has worked so hard to achieve.
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