Entering Sunday’s game, the Boston Celtics and the Washington Wizards both had nothing to play for. The Celtics clinched the number one seed with 11 games left in the season while the Wizards sat second to last in the Eastern Conference with 15 wins. With each team’s star players sitting, it was time for role players and end-of-the-bench players to step up.
Payton Pritchard is no end-of-the-bench player; he’s a role player on a very talented Celtics team and because of that, he’s been forced to be a role player. Last year, Pritchard featured in 48 games. Despite his desire to be on the court, he couldn’t get the minutes he wanted behind teammates Marcus Smart, Derrick White, and Malcolm Brogdon.