The Boston Celtics have been rolling this season. At 6-2, the team has been firing on all cylinders to start the year. However, one particular player has been taking some heat this season for the Celtics: Payton Pritchard. The point guard signed a four-year, $30 million contract with the team recently, but he's been unfortunately underperforming.
Well, that was until Friday night. Against the Brooklyn Nets, Pritchard brought his A-game for the Celtics. The guard played 30 minutes and finished with 13 points on 5-10 shooting, (2-7 from deep), five rebounds, three assists, and a steal. It was breakout game of sorts from Pritchard. After the game, star guard Jaylen Brown seemed to fire back at the critics of the guard, per Jared Weiss.
Jaylen Brown: “Payton just brings a different energy to the game.”
It's almost like…he shifts the energy….
Pritchard had something to say as well for his critics, saying that he'd encourage the Celtics fans to tweet as him. According to Pritchard, that fuels him to be better.
“What would Payton Pritchard tweet to the haters? “Uhhhh, I dunno, keep hating. Like this is just making me better. This is part of the journey. You know, these slumps, I think end of the day will pay dividends and will make me a better player overall.””
The Celtics have been trudging along so far even with the struggles of Pritchard. The new-look Boston squad is playing incredibly well, with Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis fitting nicely with the core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Al Horford. However… if Boston wants to make it far, they'll need Pritchard's efforts on both ends as well.