Payton Pritchard is struggling to knock down his three-point shots to begin the season. The 2024 Sixth Man of the Year is converting at a 22.4% clip over the Boston Celtics’ opening nine games of the season. As such, Pritchard has shifted toward getting his buckets from two-point land, either at the rim or in the mid-range.
On Wednesday, Nov. 5, Pritchard dropped 18 points to help the Celtics smoke the Washington Wizards 136-107. 12 of his points in that game came inside the arc, as he went 7-of-12 from the field, with four of his misses coming from deep.
During his postgame news conference, Pritchard discussed his shift to a more interior-based scoring mindset.
“With me not shooting the three-ball as well to start the year, as efficiently as I would like—obviously, that will come—but I know getting to the paint can be like easier looks, and can be my bread and butter,” Pritchard said, via CLNS Media. “…It’s a combination of using my body and also with my handle. Being able to control it, bump, change the direction off of it, and then get to a spot.”
With Jayson Tatum sidelined due to an Achilles tendon injury, Pritchard has assumed a larger role this season. His touches are up, and his playmaking load has increased, leading him to average 5.2 assists in nine games. However, Joe Mazzulla’s team still relies on his scoring, especially since Derrick White is also working through an offensive efficiency slump.
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Pritchard’s shift to more interior scoring has been noticeable and welcomed. Fortunately, getting into the paint and working among the tall trees is nothing new to the Oregon product; the only difference is that the frequency of those forays is trending upward.
“He’s always been a three-level scorer,” Mazzulla said, via CLNS Media. “Played with good pace. I think that’s something that he’s always had.”
Boston is still searching for what it wants its offensive identity to be as it navigates a retooling season. Pritchard is evolving alongside the rest of the roster, and if that means he becomes a more consistent three-level threat, then that will be a good thing for the franchise moving forward.
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