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By re-signing Payton Pritchard, the Boston Celtics already took care of something that could have potentially been a problem in 2024. Better yet, Pritchard let them know exactly who they were keeping for the next five years when he put up 26 points in his preseason debut against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 8.
During his postgame press conference, Pritchard gave his first thoughts on how he feels about signing the extension.
“It feels really good. Just to be secure, lock it in, and then be a part of a great organization, a great city. Obviously, I think this is the best basketball organization and city in the NBA, so it feels good,” Pritchard said, per Celtics on NBC Sports Boston.
Pritchard then gave his honest thoughts on whether he feels more pressure now that he’s signed on to a new deal.
“I wouldn’t call it pressure. I think when I signed it, it was almost like a relief. A feeling of being secure, and that was kind of my mindset towards wanting to lock something in, so I wasn’t playing this year out.”
Pritchard will have a bigger role with the Celtics this season following the departures of Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon. The extension he signed signifies that the Celtics believe in him, and that he holds no ill will to the team for keeping on the bench for most of the 2022-23 season. At least, not anymore.
Why the Celtics Elected to Keep Payton Pritchard
Per MassLive’s Brian Robb, the Celtics were motivated to keep Pritchard because of his strong performance in team workouts.
“Multiple sources tell MassLive that he has been a standout in team workouts in recent weeks, which made the team eager to lock him up to a long-term deal,” Robb wrote in an October 8 story.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the full details of Pritchard’s deal while explaining his role for the Celtics going forward.
“The deal, which is fully guaranteed, comes with the expectation that Pritchard will have a more significant role off the Celtics’ bench this season,” Wojnarowski wrote.
Considering he is now under contract for five years, Pritchard may not play for the duration of his new contract with the Celtics. Boston will benefit either because he’ll be a rotation player for the next several years or trade fodder.
Multiple Celtics Singled Out Payton Pritchard
Before Pritchard agreed to his extension, both Sam Hauser and Svi Mykhailiuk singled out Pritchard’s performance after Celtics practices.
On Celtics Media Day on October 3, Mykhailiuk singled out Pritchard as one of the standouts during Celtics’ scrimmages.
“As of now, for me, I feel like Payton was really, really good in all of the games, but I would say everybody’s just coming in, working hard, showing their work ethic, and just being here really early to show how important it is to everybody,” Mykhailiuk said, per CLNS Media Boston Sports Network.
On October 7, Hauser sang Pritchard’s praises, singling out how Pritchard had fared during training camp.
“I think Payton’s had a great camp. He’s really, really been aggressive. He worked really hard this summer, and I think he’s out for blood this year, so I’m really excited to see what he has to bring to the table this year,” Hauser said, per CLNS Media’s X account.
Combining their words, his new extension, and his preseason debut, the Payton Pritchard hype train appears to be in full swing.
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