Getty Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics moved to 5-3 on the season following their 119-123 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday, November 4.
Shortly after the game, Jayson Tatum posted a picture of him being interviewed, and his son Duece standing by his side on Instagram. In a comical turn of events, Grant Williams jumped into the comments section to fire a shot at third-year guard Payton Pritchard, insinuating that Deuce, 4, is already taller than the Oregon native.
“Deuce really 8 years old. He the same height as @paytonpritch3 already,” Williams commented.
Pritchard has been with the Celtics since they drafted him with the 26th overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft and has participated in 140 games for Boston, providing them with averages of 6.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while shooting 43.4% from the field and 41.2% from the perimeter.
Unfortunately for Pritchard, he has found himself towards the bottom of Boston’s guard rotation this season due to the off-season acquisition of Malcolm Brogdon, meaning the sharpshooter’s minutes will likely be sporadic and hard to come by in the coming months.
Celtics Trigger Team Option in Pritchard’s Contract
According to an October 29 report by the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, the Boston Celtics have decided to pick up the team option on Payton Pritchard’s rookie contract, thus extending his stay with the team by an additional year.
According to a league source, the Celtics have picked up Payton Pritchard’s 2023-24 team option.
“According to a league source, the Celtics have picked up Payton Pritchard’s 2023-24 team option,” Himmeslbach tweeted.
Pritchard has participated in just three games to begin the new season, contributing 2.3 points and 1.3 assists per contest while shooting 50% from deep on 1.3 attempts per game.
Pritchard Likely an ‘Emergency Option’ For Boston
Recently, Heavy on Sports’ NBA Insider Sean Deveney spoke with an Eastern Conference Executive, who was operating under the condition of anonymity. During the conversation, the topic of Pritchard’s future in Boston arose, to which the executive noted that the six-foot-one guard will likely remain an emergency option for the Celtics throughout the upcoming season – and potentially for the rest of his current contract.
“It would have been very weird if they did not pick up that option, that is just what you do with a first-round pick unless something else is going on there. I don’t think he is untouchable if a team really wants him, and there is some rumbling that Danny Ainge would want him in Utah, but he is on his rookie contract so a deal is hard to work out there. I’d expect him to just continue to be an emergency option if you have an injury with Malcolm Brogdon or (Marcus) Smart or Derrick White. But it is hard for him to get minutes in this rotation,” The executive said.
It should be “more minutes or a move” for Payton Pritchard. Even Luke Kornet is logging more floor time this season. Payton may have some “Gail Goodrich” in him. While not advocating a trade, it may be necessary for him to shine.
However, Pritchard may grow unhappy in such a limited role, as it could affect his ability to negotiate a new contract once he eventually becomes a free agent, after all, this is the same guard that played in 24 playoffs games for the Celtics last season, helping them reach the NBA Finals while playing 12.9 minutes off the bench. Clearly, there will be other teams interested in Pritchard’s services should he become available, but the longer he stays buried to the bench, the less other franchises will focus on the upside he can bring.