BOSTON — For the first 10 minutes of the Celtics’ playoff opener, Payton Pritchard sat on the bench.
Then, the Sixth Man of the Year finalist checked into the game and almost immediately attempted a three.
Swish.
In his first three minutes on the floor, Pritchard exploded for a quick 11 points, momentarily becoming the Celtics’ leading scorer.
By the time the final buzzer sounded, he had single-handedly outscored the entire Magic bench, finishing with 19 points on 6-8 shooting.
In his 24 minutes on the floor, he ultimately hit 4 of 6 threes and dished out 3 assists.
The offensive contributions were particularly crucial in the Celtics’ 103-86 win over the Magic because Boston’s three leading scorers all somewhat struggled offensively: Jayson Tatum finished with 17 points on 8-22 FG, Jaylen Brown with 16 points on 6-14 FG, and Kristaps Porzingis with 5 points on 1-8 FG.
Still, what stood out most to Joe Mazzulla after the game was Pritchard’s impact on the defensive end.
“I thought he was just as good defensively as he was offensively,” Mazzulla said, assessing his backup point guard’s performance in the playoff opener.
It’s not the first time Mazzulla has made a point to call out Pritchard’s defense — he’s routinely brought up the 27-year-old’s defensive strides over the past two seasons.
“The best thing about Payton, that people don’t appreciate, is his defense and his tenacity,” Mazzulla said last Spring. “We all know he can score. We all know he can shoot. But his level of defensive intensity has been huge for us.”
Payton Pritchard is not known for his defense — but he aspires to be
When your perimeter defenders include Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Jaylen Brown, it’s difficult for an undersized backup point guard to develop much of a defensive reputation.
Still, Pritchard told CelticsBlog last month that he is working to become a go-to defender on the Celtics.
“People like to say that sometimes — maybe not as much anymore — but that I used to be a defensive liability,” he said. “But I feel like that was maybe because they looked at the height, and maybe the color of my skin a little bit. So they think I’m a target.”
At 6’1, Pritchard has an undeniable natural size disadvantage on the floor, particularly when he’s switched onto larger NBA wings, which opposing teams often work to do. Despite his size, he’s found ways to be disruptive defensively all season, and Sunday afternoon against the Magic was no exception.
“His physicality at the point of attack was big for us,” Mazzulla said after the win. “And I think he got two tip-out lead runs in the second half that were big for us. [He] just made things happen.”
Jrue Holiday praised Pritchard’s quick scoring outburst upon checking into the game — but similarly noted it was his defense that stood out most.
“Payton’s a gamer, as everybody here sees,” Holiday said. “Any opportunity that he has to put the ball in the basket, he does it. But what makes him special is what he does on the defensive end — picking up anybody full court, just being a dawg, hounding whoever’s in front of him.”
Asked Jrue Holiday about Payton Pritchard’s impact tonight:
“Payton being Payton.”
“Payton’s a gamer… any opportunity that he has to put the ball in the basket, he does it.”
“But what makes him special is what he does on the defensive end.” pic.twitter.com/ydy2MqISN4
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) April 20, 2025
Pritchard often picks up the player he’s guarding before halfcourt.
“I just try to make things tough,” Pritchard said. “And I feel like defensively, on ball, I think I’m very good. I can move my feet well, and take bumps, and I’m just gonna keep getting better and better and better at it.”
Pritchard’s offensive impact continues to be undeniable
Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said after the loss that he thought the team did a good job defending Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. But, he noted that Pritchard’s scoring was one of the big difference-makers for the Celtics. (In addition to Derrick White, who finished with a team-high 30 points).
“For the most part, it was the Derrick Whites of the world, Payton Pritchard coming off the bench for 19,” Mosely said. “Two guys you don’t really account for coming up with 49 points. I think we’ve got to do a better job there.”
The reality is that both White and Pritchard have regularly produced like this all season; White finished the season as the Celtics’ all-time leading in most threes made in a single season, while Pritchard shot 40.7% from beyond the arc this year.
In this one, Pritchard had several particularly timely plays in addition to his four made threees. With the Celtics’ offense stalling early in the second quarter, he bailed out the Celtics by drawing a three-point foul on Wendell Carter Jr. at the shot clock buzzer.
Brown, who returned to the floor after missing the last three games of the regular season with a knee injury, expressed no surprise at Pritchard’s impact on both ends.
“That’s another dawg,” Brown said, adding; “Payton, his mentality has been like that all season long. So when he gets in the game, it’s no different. Today was an example of what he’s been doing all season long.”
