Even when the misses piled up for Payton Pritchard and there was frustration mixed in, the Celtics guard stayed the course. He is, after all, an elite shooter and has shown that throughout his career. So a few weeks of missing 3s wasn’t going to change how he approached the game.
Pritchard showed signs of climbing out of that slump Friday in the loss to the Magic. He scored 27 points on 8-for-16 shooting, including a 5-for-8 showing on 3s. But he was far from satisfied with his performance despite the flashy scoring total.
“I feel like I have yet to put a full game together. I know I shot the 3 ball better, but I wasn’t as great in the paint tonight,” Pritchard told reporters in Orlando, via CLNS Media. “I also had some bad turnovers. Like I just lost the ball one time on the baseline, and then I missed some real easy paint shots that I should’ve made. Once I can put a full one, I’ll feel that way.”
Pritchard has slid into the starting point guard role for the Celtics to open the season. There were some questions on who would start alongside Derrick White, but it’s been clear why Pritchard earned his spot.
The 3-point shooting has been a struggle as he had entered Friday’s game shooting just 22.4% from deep on 7.4 attempts per game. But Pritchard hasn’t allowed that slow start to affect other parts of his game. He’s continued to pressure ball-handlers defensively, which is also a team emphasis as he tries to be as physical as possible. Pritchard’s midrange game, where he’s shot and made short jumpers after getting to the paint, has also been a pleasant addition.
Pritchard has also set up his teammates to the tune of a career-high 5.1 assists per game. Considering the Celtics depth, there are some lineups that put a lot of attention on Pritchard as the ball-handler and initiator of the offense. That also puts more pressure on him to get his teammates going depending on who’s out there with him.
Regardless, it’s still early as the Celtics hit the 10-game mark of the season. They’re 4-6 overall but have shown flashes. For example, they’re 1-4 in clutch games, meaning a few possessions could have been the difference between a win or loss. There’s also plenty of time for Pritchard to up his percentages, just like he did Friday.
“You look at the season, it could look completely different if you win two games that we’re supposed to: Opening Night and against Utah,” Pritchard said. “Then we’re sitting, what, 6-4? A lot of people would be looking at it a lot different. It’s the first 10 games. Now we got another set of 10 games. Can we get positive every 10 games and keep getting better and better? That’s kind of the outlook we’re looking at. It’s just a growth mindset.”