{"id":826381,"date":"2025-03-07T11:31:53","date_gmt":"2025-03-07T16:31:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?p=826381"},"modified":"2025-03-07T11:31:56","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T16:31:56","slug":"the-payton-pritchard-effect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/the-magazine\/slam-254\/the-payton-pritchard-effect\/","title":{"rendered":"The Payton Pritchard Effect"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Everyone talks about those half-court shots and the clutch threes, but the true essence of Payton Pritchard\u2019s game is how well he\u2019s mastered the element of surprise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s in everything he\u2019s done so far in his career: from being the Celtics\u2019 No. 26 pick in the 2020 draft to, in just five seasons in Boston, inking his name in the record books by hitting multiple buzzer beaters in the Finals, winning a championship and now leading the Sixth Man of the Year race. Whenever the guard has the ball in his hands, he\u2019s like a magician in his bag of tricks. The court vision and dazzling dimes. His ability to create plays off the dribble. The efficiency at which he shoots the ball, unafraid to let it fly whenever, over whomever, from wherever<\/em>. Doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s 50 feet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pritchard\u2019s impact on the Celtics is evident in his ability to perform and deliver, especially when they need it most. But to do all of that while coming off the bench? That takes sheer confidence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI definitely wanted to be considered in the conversation for one of the best players off the bench,\u201d he tells us after shootaround one day. \u201cI mean, obviously, with our team [and] the way we\u2019re built, we are very talented. And our starting five, obviously it\u2019s a lot of big names. So I felt like for myself to make a jump and be considered one of the best bench players in the League, that would only help our team. And I thought I was very capable of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As of mid-January, Pritchard is leading the NBA in total points off the bench (895), which puts him above last year\u2019s Sixth Man of the Year, Minnesota\u2019s Naz Reid. Look up and down the stat sheet and you\u2019ll see career-high numbers in almost every category: minutes played (28.2), field-goal attempts (10.6), an ability to shoot at a more efficient clip than in years\u2019 past. He\u2019s averaging 14.4 ppg\u2014double what he averaged as a rookie (7.7)\u2014on a career-high 47.9 percent shooting from the field and 42.4 percent from behind the arc.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the offseason, Pritchard dialed in on refining those very aspects of his game. What we\u2019re all witnessing now is everything coming into motion. \u201cJust being able to shoot off the move and shoot off the dribble from three more, that\u2019s definitely added levels to my game,\u201d he describes. \u201cI thought my mid-range and finishing was always really good and just continued to be good, but [I try to] just continue to be a complete ballplayer. Defensively, being more active.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At just 6-1, Pritchard is crashing the boards and averaging 3.8 trb and 1.4 offensive boards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt really just comes down to confidence, honestly,\u201d Pritchard says, when asked what\u2019s been the difference maker for him this season. \u201cI\u2019ve just been confident every time I step on the floor. That\u2019s what I\u2019m capable of doing, and I\u2019m capable of helping [us] win at the highest of levels.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You know it\u2019s real when you are who you think you are, and no one can deny Pritchard\u2019s innate ability to be a spark for the Cs whenever he\u2019s out there. In a win against the Pistons, Pritchard\u2019s impact was everywhere en-route to a 27-point, 10-assist performance, from 27-foot pullup threes to assists to Queta to easy layups and big rebounds. \u201cI thought he made big-time plays whether it was the offensive rebound, whether it was the play at the end of the game or just pushing the pace. You know, he kinda just has the ability to impact the game in different ways,\u201d said head coach Joe Mazzulla after the game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just last night against Portland, he dropped a career-high 43 points and knocked down a best 10 threes. Alongside teammate Derrick White’s 41-point performance, they’re the first Celtics duo ever to score 40 or more points in the same game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His mindset is simple:\u00a0Don\u2019t think, just shoot<\/em>.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The type of energy that he brings is what White called the \u201cPayton Effect\u201d on\u00a0The Young Man and the Three<\/em>\u00a0podcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it has something to do with the energy that it gives people,\u201d Pritchard tells us, when asked about White\u2019s comments. \u201cThe excitement, just the momentum swings and just me coming off the bench to come in with a spark and this new life of energy and the pace of play. The crowd gets behind it, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In other words: he is just on a different wavelength. It\u2019s when he\u2019s playing freely and creatively that Pritchard does things that leave the crowd in total awe. Take for instance what happened in the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic. With the Cs already up 112-89 in the fourth, Pritchard didn\u2019t hold back when matched up against Wendell Carter Jr, who played solid defense but was no match for P\u2019s artistic dribbling combos and elite footwork. Plus the step-back jumper he drained immediately after. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely an art form,\u201d he says about his approach to shooting. \u201cI feel like there\u2019s such a rhythm piece to it. It\u2019s just allowing your body to be all in one motion when you shoot. That definitely helps.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His mindset is simple: Don\u2019t think, just shoot<\/em>. Whatever happens on the floor\u2014including some of the craziest half-court buzzer beaters we\u2019ve ever seen, which, might we add, he doesn\u2019t practice but has obviously perfected\u2014is all the result of just how much time and dedication he\u2019s put into every aspect of his craft. What we\u2019re witnessing now is someone just straight up hoopin\u2019. \u201cI\u2019ve practiced and I\u2019ve worked so many hours at it that I feel like when I shoot, the worst is when I start to think about my form, start to think about certain things, rather than just letting all the work I put in just come naturally,\u201d he adds. \u201cI try to harp on, Just let it fly. Don\u2019t think. Be in the flow of shooting<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Keep in mind, he\u2019s doing all of this while on a championship squad that\u2019s currently leading the NBA in threes. Not only is Payton shooting the lights out, but the Celtics are leading a three-point resurgence across the League, one that\u2019s drawn a bit of criticism. But, in his opinion, if this is just one of the many things that makes them so lethal, why switch up now? \u201cWe have eight dudes on our team that could go off and hit five threes in the game very easily,\u201d P explains. \u201cWe have eight dudes that are high-level shooters that make us very difficult, so you have to worry about every one of us. Now, a lot of teams don\u2019t have that, and I think that\u2019s what makes us different from most teams. You just have to worry about all of us when we\u2019re on the court.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a reigning champion, Pritchard knows there\u2019s something bigger they\u2019re all playing for, too: going back-to-back in the Finals and raising Banner 19. But when he looks back at how he\u2019s gotten here and solidified himself as a key piece in their rotation, it all comes down to his ability to find balance. In the good and the bad. In the clutch performances and big-time plays. This is what he would tell a young Payton just coming into the League:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[Don\u2019t] ride the waves of the lows and the highs. Try to be balanced through it all,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ve learned that now, and I\u2019m still learning that at times, but I\u2019ve definitely gotten a lot better at it. But I feel like the thing that\u2019s hardest for young players, especially in the League, is just the ups and downs. There could be a lot of nights where things just don\u2019t go your way, or a lot of things are out of your control, but not letting it mentally affect you. But then obviously you\u2019re gonna have a lot of good nights, but not riding that high too high either. Just maintaining that balance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To have his name be part of the Sixth Man conversation is an \u201chonor,\u201d he says. While it might come as a surprise to many, what it means to him is that all of those hours are paying off. Now it\u2019s about keeping that same energy and more, every night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt means I\u2019ve elevated to another level, which is from the work and stuff like that,\u201d he says. \u201cBut we\u2019re almost halfway through the year, so I got another halfway to go and show what I\u2019m capable of. I\u2019m just worried about game by game now [and] showing [that] every day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Everyone talks about those half-court shots and the clutch threes, but the true essence of Payton Pritchard\u2019s game is how well he\u2019s mastered the element of surprise.  It\u2019s in everything he\u2019s done so far in his career: from being the Celtics\u2019 No. 26 pick in the 2020 draft to, in just five seasons in Boston, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":424,"featured_media":826390,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[65344],"tags":[91,62525,12990,11437],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-826381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-slam-254","tag-boston-celtics","tag-feature-1","tag-nba","tag-payton-pritchard"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/826381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/424"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=826381"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/826381\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":826394,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/826381\/revisions\/826394"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/826390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=826381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=826381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=826381"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=826381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}