A year ago today, Payton Pritchard was completely out of the Celtics’ rotation. He had lobbied for a trade prior to the All-Star break, desperate to get to a team where he’d see the court, but the Celtics decided to hold onto him, continuing to proclaim their long-term belief in his work ethic and play.
The rest is history.
One year later, Pritchard is a star in his role. He has the third-highest net rating in the league at +12.9, in a career-high 21.1 minutes per game.
He’s scored in double figures in six of his last seven performances — including a 19-point, 6-rebound effort in a 122-119 win over the Bucks on Thursday night.