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The defending champion Boston Celtics are rolling. Following their 119-108 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night, they are now 4-0 start the new season. While one of their big dogs, Jaylen Brown, led the team in scoring with 30 points, an unsung hero came up huge for Boston amid a bit of a lackluster shooting night for Jayson Tatum — with Payton Pritchard erupting for 28 points in 28 minutes off the bench.
Pritchard came in and made it rain from beyond the arc, nailing eight of his 12 attempts from deep as he did most of his damage in the first half to keep the Bucks at bay. He simply relishes the moment, with Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla lauding the 26-year-old's competitive streak that enables him to play his best in big games.
“He doesn't give two s**ts about anything other than just competing at the highest level. He's a purist competitor, I really appreciate that about him,” Mazzulla said in his postgame presser, via Celtics on NBC Sports Boston on X (formerly Twitter).
"He's a purist competitor, I really appreciate that about him."
Joe Mazzulla on Payton Pritchard pic.twitter.com/vhtt7oSOyv
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) October 29, 2024
Pritchard's night to night box score contributions may vary wildly given that he's playing a bench role for the Celtics behind Jrue Holiday and Derrick White. But his competitive nature should allow the Celtics to maintain a healthy mentality as they look to win another championship.
Payton Pritchard's Celtics redemption arc
It wasn't too long ago when Payton Pritchard was on the outs with the Celtics, with the team putting out feelers for him on the trade market. Back then, he was relegated to a mop-up role behind Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon. But now, he's locked into his role as the first guard off the Boston bench, and he has been making the most out of the trust the team has given him.
Mazzulla has already spoken about Pritchard's extreme competitive nature, and Pritchard has even admitted that he thinks he's the most competitive on the team. As per ClutchPoints Celtics beat reporter Daniel Donabedian reported, Pritchard, point blank, said that he “hates losing”.
Payton Pritchard said he never wants to lose, even if it’s whiffle ball before practice:
“I’m probably the most competitive on our team. I hate losing.” pic.twitter.com/iPMjSxSsxW
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) October 29, 2024
Now that he's still with arguably the best team in the league, Pritchard is home. The Celtics, after all, won't be experiencing much losing this year.
