Payton Pritchard

Payton Pritchard

Pritchard with the Boston Celtics in 2021
No. 11–Boston Celtics
Position	Point guard / shooting guard
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(1998-01-28) January 28, 1998 (age 26) Tualatin, Oregon, U.S. [1]
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight	195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school	West Linn (West Linn, Oregon)
College	Oregon (2016–2020)
NBA draft	2020: 1st round, 26th overall pick
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Playing career	2020–present
Career history
2020–present	Boston Celtics
Career highlights and awards
NBA champion (2024) Lute Olson Award (2020) Bob Cousy Award (2020) Consensus first-team All-American (2020) Pac-12 Player of the Year (2020) First-team All-Pac-12 (2020) Second-team All-Pac-12 (2018) Pac-12 tournament MOP (2019)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference
Medals Men's basketball Representing   United States FIBA Under-19 World Cup 2017 Egypt Team Competition

Payton Michael Pritchard (born January 28, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks. As a sophomore, Pritchard earned second-team all-conference honors in the Pac-12. In his senior year, he was a finalist for the Naismith Trophy. Selected 26th overall in the 2020 NBA draft by the Celtics, Pritchard reached the NBA Finals with the team in both 2022 and 2024, securing a championship in 2024. ^[2]

Early life

Pritchard won four consecutive state titles with West Linn High School and earned 2014 and 2015 Todd Pratt Player of the Year, Oregon Class 6A Player of the Year and 2015 Gatorade Oregon Player of the Year. He averaged 22 points and 5.8 assists per game as a junior (2014–15) and 23.6 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.1 steals as a senior (2015–16). A four-star recruit in the ESPN ranking, ^[3] Pritchard committed to the University of Oregon Ducks in August 2015. ^[4] He had previously committed to Oklahoma, where his father Terry played football. ^[5] Pritchard scored 45 points in the Northwest Shootout, an all-star game between players from Oregon and Washington.

College career

In his freshman year (2016–17), Pritchard made 39 appearances for the Ducks, averaging 7.4 points and 3.6 assists per game. ^[6] In a game against UCLA, he made a deep three-point shot to pull the Ducks within one point and assisted on Dillon Brooks' game-winning three-pointer over Lonzo Ball. Oregon made its first Final Four appearance since the first NCAA Tournament ever, and Pritchard was the only freshman to start in that year's Final Four.

On November 25, 2017, Pritchard scored a career-high 29 points to go along with eight assists and six rebounds in an 84–79 victory over DePaul. ^[7] He was the lone returning starter for the Ducks in his sophomore year (2017–18) and averaged a markedly higher 14.5 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game. ^[8]

As a junior, Pritchard got off to a disappointing start but improved his play late in the season leading Oregon to an improbable Pac 12 Tournament Championship and reaching the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Pritchard averaged 12.9 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game and was named MVP of the Pac-12 Tournament. After the season, he declared for the 2019 NBA draft but later decided to return to Oregon for his senior season. ^[9]

Pritchard in 2019

As a senior, Pritchard was one of the best players in collegiate basketball. On January 18, 2020, against Washington, he scored 22 points and made a 30-foot shot with three seconds left to complete a 16-point comeback as Oregon won in overtime 64–61. ^[10] On January 30, Pritchard had 21 points in a 77–72 victory over California and became Oregon's all-time assists leader. ^[11] He scored a career-high 38 points in a narrow 73–72 overtime victory over Arizona on February 22 in a must-win game to keep Oregon's hopes for a Pac-12 regular season title alive. ^[12] Pritchard finished the job in Oregon's regular-season finale with 29 points against Stanford, securing Oregon's second Pac-12 regular season title during his career. ^[13] As a senior, Pritchard averaged 20.5 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game, ^[14] and he was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year. ^[15] Pritchard was also a consensus All-American selection and was awarded the Bob Cousy Award as the nation's top point guard. ^[16]

Professional career

Boston Celtics (2020–present)

Pritchard was selected with the 26th pick in the first round of the 2020 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. ^[17] On November 24, 2020, he signed a four-year, $10.5 million rookie contract with the Boston Celtics including team options in the third and fourth year. ^{[18] [19]} Pritchard impressed in his professional debut scoring 17 points in a preseason game against the Philadelphia 76ers on December 15. ^[20] In the absence of Kemba Walker, Pritchard was fourth in playing time through the first five games, behind only Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart. ^[21] On January 4, 2021, Pritchard scored a career-high 23 points in a 126–114 victory over the Toronto Raptors with eight assists and two rebounds. ^[22] In the next game, he made the game-winning layup in a narrow 107–105 victory over the Miami Heat. ^[23] On January 12, Pritchard earned his first NBA start, but had an underwhelming performance, scoring only two points in 28 minutes in a 96–93 loss to the Detroit Pistons. ^[24] This showing came in the beginning stages of what can be described as his "rookie wall", where Pritchard struggled to be as efficient and impactful as he was early in the season. Pritchard alluded to his struggles later on in the season, ^[25] but seemingly burst through this looming "rookie wall" in mid-April when Pritchard scored in double figures in six of seven games in a row including a then-career-best, 28 points in a 119–115 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 27. ^[26]

Pritchard played for the Celtics in the 2021 NBA Summer League and was named All-Summer League First Team after averaging 17 points and eight assists. ^[27]

Pritchard helped the Celtics reach the 2022 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games despite a 2–1 lead. ^[28]

In the final game of the 2022–23 season on April 9, 2023, Pritchard tallied his first career triple-double by putting up a career-high 30 points, a career-high 14 rebounds, and a career-high 11 assists in a 120–114 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. The game was played primarily by back-ups on each team. ^[29] Following the Celtics' exit from the 2023 playoffs in the Eastern Conference Finals and due to limited minutes, Pritchard requested a trade. ^[30]

On October 8, 2023, the Celtics and Pritchard agreed to a fully guaranteed four-year, $30 million contract extension. ^[31] In the 2023–24 season, he saw increased playing time, averaging 22.3 minutes per game, and was the only player on the Celtics roster to play in all 82 regular-season games. ^{[32] [33]} On April 12, 2024, Pritchard scored a career-high 32 points while also recording with 11 assists, three rebounds, and a steal in a 131–96 victory over the Charlotte Hornets, becoming the first Celtics player in the play-by-play era to record 23 points and nine assists in the first half. ^[34] Two days later against the Washington Wizards in the final game of the regular season, he set another career-high of 38 points while also recording 12 assists and nine rebounds in a 132–122 victory, becoming the second Celtics player to put up at least 20 points and six assists in the first half in two consecutive games. ^[35] Pritchard joined John Havlicek, Larry Bird, and Bob Cousy as the only players in franchise history to record back-to-back 30-point, 10-assist double-doubles. ^[36]

During Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks on June 9, Pritchard made a 34-foot three-pointer at the buzzer to end the third quarter as the Celtics won 105–98. ^{[37] [38]} Eight days later in Game 5, he made a half-court shot at the buzzer to end the first half of the close-out 106–88 victory, giving Pritchard his first NBA championship. ^{[39] [40]} According to the NBA, it was the longest made basket in an NBA Finals game since 1997; an NBA graphic gives the distance at 50 feet, while play-by-play results call it a 43-foot shot. ^{[41] [42]}

National team career

Pritchard represented the US at the 2015 FIBA 3x3 Under-18 World Championship where, in his best game, he had nine three-pointers against Poland. Pritchard scored 12 points on four three-pointers in 14 minutes as a member of the USA National Select Team at the 2016 Nike Hoop Summit. ^[43]

Pritchard also made the U.S. squad for the 2017 FIBA U19 World Cup in Egypt. ^[44] He averaged 9.0 points, 3.1 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per contest during the tournament, including 16 points against RJ Barrett and Canada. ^[45] Team USA won the bronze medal, and Pritchard was named to the All-Star Five. ^[46]

Personal life

Pritchard married his girlfriend, YouTuber Emma MacDonald, in August 2024. The ceremony was officiated by his former Celtics teammate Blake Griffin. ^[47]

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high
†	Won an NBA championship

NBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2020–21	Boston	66	4	19.2	.440	.411	.889	2.4	1.8	.6	.1	7.7
2021–22	Boston	71	2	14.1	.429	.412	1.000	1.9	2.0	.4	.1	6.2
2022–23	Boston	48	3	13.4	.412	.364	.750	1.8	1.3	.3	.0	5.6
2023–24†	Boston	82	5	22.3	.468	.385	.821	3.2	3.4	.5	.1	9.6
Career		267	14	17.7	.444	.395	.862	2.4	2.3	.4	.1	7.5

Play-in

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2021	Boston	1	0	4.6	.000	.000	–	1.0	.0	.0	.0	.0
Career		1	0	4.6	.000	.000	–	1.0	.0	.0	.0	.0

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2021	Boston	5	0	13.5	.353	.300	1.000	1.8	2.4	.4	0	3.4
2022	Boston	24	0	12.9	.422	.333	.667	1.9	1.6	.3	.1	4.8
2023	Boston	10	0	5.7	.545	.400	.800	.6	1.1	.1	.0	3.2
2024†	Boston	19	0	18.7	.419	.383	.917	1.9	2.1	.2	0	6.4
Career		58	0	13.6	.427	.355	.840	1.7	1.7	.2	0	4.9

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2016–17	Oregon	39	35	28.3	.393	.350	.730	3.4	3.6	1.2	.1	7.4
2017–18	Oregon	36	36	35.1	.447	.413	.774	3.8	4.8	1.4	.0	14.5
2018–19	Oregon	38	38	35.5	.418	.328	.838	3.9	4.6	1.8	.1	12.9
2019–20	Oregon	31	31	36.6	.468	.415	.821	4.3	5.5	1.5	.0	20.5
Career		144	140	33.7	.437	.379	.800	3.8	4.6	1.5	.0	13.5

References

1. "Payton Pritchard | Boston Celtics". NBA.com .
2. "Celtics win 18th championship with Game 5 victory over Mavericks". NBA.com. June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
3. "Payton Pritchard - Basketball Recruiting - Player Profiles - ESPN". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
4. "Pritchard stays in-state, commits to Oregon". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
5. Borzello, Jeff (July 6, 2015). "ESPN 100 PG Pritchard decommits from Sooners". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
6. Alger, Tyson (November 11, 2017). "Oregon Ducks handle Coppin State in men's basketball season opener: Live updates recap". OregonLive. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
7. Alger, Tyson (November 25, 2017). "Payton Pritchard and Oregon Ducks outlast DePaul at PK80 Invitational: Live updates recap, score, stats". OregonLive. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
8. "Oregon's Payton Pritchard named to Wooden Award watch list". OregonLive. November 8, 2018. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
9. Hanson, Nate (May 29, 2019). "Oregon point guard Payton Pritchard to return for senior season". KGW8. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
10. "Pritchard's late 3 lifts No. 8 Oregon past Washington 64–61". ESPN . Associated Press. January 18, 2020. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
11. "Payton Pritchard breaks Oregon's assists record as No. 11 Ducks men's basketball beats California". OregonLive. Associated Press. January 30, 2020. Archived from the original on January 31, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
12. "No. 14 Oregon rallies to beat No. 24 Arizona 73–72 in OT". ESPN . Associated Press. February 22, 2020. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
13. "Pritchard leads No. 13 Oregon to Pac-12 title, beating Stanford". Reuters. March 8, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
14. Dauster, Rob (March 10, 2020). "NBC Sports College Basketball All-American Teams". NBC Sports . Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
15. "Pac-12 announces 2019-20 Men's Basketball annual major awards". pac-12.com. March 9, 2020. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
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23. "Pritchard's putback pushes Celtics past Heat, 107-105". ESPN. January 6, 2021. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
24. "Payton Pritchard 2020-21 Game Log". Archived from the original on June 7, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
25. "Payton Pritchard not focused on hitting, but overcoming rookie wall with Celtics". Archived from the original on June 7, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
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28. Roche, Conor (March 17, 2023). "Celtics lose Game 6 and fall to the Warriors in the NBA Finals". boston.com. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
29. Nilon, Mark (April 10, 2023). "Celtics guard Payton Pritchard issues statement on approach to 'frustrating' season". ClutchPoints. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
30. Krivitsky, Bobby (June 6, 2023). "Exploring Potential Payton Pritchard Trades". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved June 10, 2023. A lack of playing time has Payton Pritchard pushing for a trade. Here's who or what the Celtics might get if they oblige.
31. "Celtics, Pritchard agree to 4-year, $30M extension". ESPN.com. October 8, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
32. "Payton Pritchard Career Stats - NBA". ESPN. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
33. "Boston Celtics 2023-24 NBA Regular Season Stats". ESPN. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
34. "Celtics-Hornets takeaways: Pritchard leads C's reserves to dominant win". NBC Sports Boston. April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
35. "Celtics-Wizards takeaways: Pritchard, C's dominate on Mike Gorman Day". NBC Sports Boston. April 14, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
36. Hass, Trevor. "Payton Pritchard's latest milestone puts him on list with Larry Bird". www.boston.com. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
37. Reynolds, Tim (June 10, 2024). "Celtics call Payton Pritchard's desperation 3-pointer the 'play of the game' in Game 2". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
38. "Celtics beat Mavericks 105-98, take 2-0 lead in NBA Finals as series heads to Dallas". ESPN. June 9, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
39. Geagan, Matt (June 18, 2024). "How about that Celtics half-court shot? Teammates celebrate Payton Pritchard's buzzer beater - CBS Boston". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
40. Bontemps, Tim (June 17, 2024). "Celtics stomp Mavs, clinch record 18th NBA title". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
41. NBA Twitter account
42. Globe, The Boston. "Payton Pritchard beats the buzzer again with a 43-foot Finals shot". www.boston.com. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
43. TEGNA. "Pritchard scores 12, USA wins Nike Hoop Summit 101-67". KGW. Retrieved July 7, 2017.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
44. "Oregon Ducks point guard Payton Pritchard named to Team USA Under-19 World Cup roster". OregonLive.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
45. "États-Unis at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2017 - FIBA.basketball". FIBA.basketball (in French). Archived from the original on September 19, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
46. "Payton Pritchard and Abu Kigab named to World Cup All-Star Team". DuckTerritory. Archived from the original on July 12, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
47. "Boston Celtics Point Guard Payton Pritchard Marries Emma MacDonald — and Blake Griffin Officiates! See the Photos". People.com. Retrieved October 11, 2024.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
• Oregon Ducks bio
• USA Basketball bio