The Boston Celtics thumped the Chicago Bulls, 125-111, at TD Garden on Friday night in Boston, in a game in which point guard Payton Pritchard finally began playing like … well, Payton Pritchard. In the first four games of the season, Pritchard had been tentative and unsure of himself, descriptors rarely applied to the seventh-year Celtic.
As he explained, “I’ve been through some struggles early on in this season and had some poor games and honestly, just the defensive effort and rebounding has been poor, so I’m cleaning up that area. It just leads to more success offensively and just being a complete player.”
Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla Has a Hug for Payton Pritchard
He was complete in the Celtics’ fourth straight win, an NBA Cup game. Pritchard scored 10 points off the bench in the first quarter, and finished with 30 points on 9-for-17 shooting. He added two steals in the game. Coach Joe Mazzulla, seeing that Pritchard was a bit off to start the year, challenged him to get back to his style of play before the game.
When it was clear Pritchard was responding, Mazzulla gave him an on-court hug.
“Joe challenged me,” Pritchard said. “I feel like in the first four games, my defensive activity and my rebounding has been poor… He was challenging me to step up in that area. The hug was for me to be doing that and him being thankful and doing it and that kind of moment.”
Mazzulla said that, even seven years into his career, the Celtics feel Pritchard can get more out of his talent.
“Payton is a guy that gets better every year. I think the sky is the limit for him. I think he hasn’t completely tapped into the player that he can become…” he said.
“As we continue to grow as a team, and he continues to grow as a player, being a key player on both ends of the floor really helps us take it to a different level. So, he’s got more in the tank. He’s a kid that can continue to get better and better. I like pushing him. I like coaching him, and I love him like a brother.”
Pritchard and the Celtics are in for a rough stretch in which they play 10 of their next 13 games on the road, starting on Sunday in Orlando.
Celtics’ Payton Pritchard Reveals Challenge After ‘Poor’ Start