You can’t win an NBA title without stars. The Boston Celtics have them. But you can’t win a championship without top-notch depth. Some teams have done that, but the Celtics didn’t use that formula. They loaded their roster with quality players from top to bottom.
And even though he didn’t play many minutes in the NBA Finals, Payton Pritchard was crucial to Boston’s success. He even hit one of the biggest shots of the season, make a half-court shot as halftime of Game 5 approaches.
Pritchard played a significant role for the Celtics all season despite being removed from the rotation the previous season. He appeared in all 82 games, averaging 9.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from three-point range.
Boston signed him to a contract extension last summer, and now it’s paying off. Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus He compiled a list of the league’s 12 best contracts and ranked Pritchard’s contract as the eighth best in the NBA.
“With Boston heavily invested in players like Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, [Jrue] Holidays and [Derrick] “The White-Pritchard economic agreement is extremely valuable,” Pincus wrote.
Pritchard is under contract with the Celtics through the 2027-28 season. He is set to make around $6.7 million this year, and in his final year with Boston, he will make just $8.3 million. Once Sam Hauser’s new contract extension kicks in, Pritchard will be the Celtics’ eighth-highest-paid player.
Jrue Holiday and Derrick White are the best guards on the roster, but with both starting five players, it’s important to have a good backup. Pritchard provides that luxury for Boston.
And considering Holiday is already 34, Pritchard could be thrust into a more important role at some point in the near future.
Whenever Pritchard had the chance to have more responsibilities Within Boston’s offense, whether it’s because of injuries or absences, he’s taken a step forward. In the final two games of last season, Pritchard scored 31 and 38 points, respectively.
Pritchard’s ability to score so efficiently is exactly what makes his contract one of the best in the NBA.
