Payton Michael Pritchard (born January 28, 1998) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for the Boston Celtics of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Oregon Ducks The Oregon Ducks are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Oregon, located in Eugene. The Ducks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. ...

. As a sophomore, he was named second-team all-conference in the Pac-12. As a senior, he was a finalist for the Naismith Trophy. Pritchard was drafted 26th overall in the

2020 NBA draft The 2020 NBA draft was held on November 18, 2020. The draft was originally scheduled to be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 25, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it was instead conducted at ESPN's facilities in Bristol, Connecti ...

by the Celtics. He reached the NBA Finals with the team in 2022.

High school career

Pritchard won four consecutive state titles with

West Linn High School West Linn High School is a public high school in West Linn, Oregon, United States. It is one of two high schools in the West Linn-Wilsonville School District, the other being Wilsonville High School. Academics In 1984, West Linn High School wa ...

and earned 2014 and 2015 Todd Pratt Player of the Year, Oregon Class 6A Player of the Year and 2015 Gatorade Oregon Player of the Year. He averaged 22 points and 5.8 assists per game as a junior (2014–15) and 23.6 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.1 steals as a senior (2015–16). A four-star recruit in the

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...

ranking, he committed to the University of Oregon Ducks in August 2015. He had previously committed to Oklahoma, where his father Terry played football. Pritchard scored 45 points in the Northwest Shootout, an all-star game between players from Oregon and Washington. Pritchard played multiple future NBA stars and lottery picks at the Les Schwab Invitational throughout his high school career, such as Ben Simmons,

Jaylen Brown Jaylen Marselles Brown (born October 24, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college basketball for the California Golden Bears, being n ...

, and

Jahlil Okafor Jahlil Obika Okafor (pronounced ; born December 15, 1995) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for the Capitanes de Ciudad de México of the NBA G League. He played his freshman season of college basketball for the 2014–15 ...

College career

In his freshman year (2016–17), Pritchard made 39 appearances for the Ducks, averaging 7.4 points and 3.6 assists per game. In a game against UCLA, Pritchard made a deep three to pull the Ducks within one behind assisting on

Dillon Brooks Dillon Brooks (born January 22, 1996) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks, where he was named a consensus second-te ...

game-winning three over

Lonzo Ball Lonzo Anderson Ball (born October 27, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, he played college basketball for one season with the UCLA Bruins, earn ...

. Oregon made its first Final Four appearance since the first NCAA Tournament ever and Pritchard was the only freshman to start in that year's Final Four. On November 25, 2017, Pritchard scored a career-high 29 points to go with eight assists and six rebounds in an 84–79 win over DePaul. Pritchard was the lone returning starter for the Ducks in his sophomore year (2017–18) and averaged a markedly higher 14.5 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game. As a junior, Pritchard got off to a disappointing start but turned it up late in the season leading Oregon to an improbable Pac 12 Tournament Championship and reaching the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 12.9 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game and was named MVP of the Pac-12 Tournament. Following the season he declared for the

2019 NBA draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, i ...

but decided to return to Oregon for his senior season. As a senior, Pritchard was one of the best players in collegiate basketball. On January 18, 2020, Pritchard scored 22 points and drained a 30-foot shot with 3 seconds left to complete a 16-point comeback win over

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

in overtime 64–61. On January 30, Pritchard scored 21 points in a 77–72 win against

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and became Oregon's all-time assists leader. He scored a career-high 38 points in a 73–72 overtime win against

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

on February 22 in a must win game to keep Oregon's hopes for a Pac 12 regular season title alive. As a senior, Pritchard averaged 20.5 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game, and he was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year. Pritchard was also a consensus All-American selection and was awarded the

Bob Cousy Award The Bob Cousy Award presented by The College of the Holy Cross (or Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award) is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate point guard. ...

as the nation's top point guard.

Professional career

Boston Celtics (2020–present)

Pritchard was selected with the 26th pick in the first round of the

by the Boston Celtics. On November 24, 2020, Pritchard signed a four-year, $10.5 million rookie contract with the Boston Celtics including team options in the third and fourth year. Pritchard impressed in his professional debut scoring 17 points in a preseason game against the Philadelphia 76ers on December 15, 2020. In the absence of Kemba Walker, he was fourth in playing time through the first five games, behind only

Jayson Tatum Jayson Christopher Tatum Sr. (; born March 3, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A McDonald's All-American in high school in Missouri, he played college baske ...

, and

Marcus Smart Marcus Osmond Smart (born March 6, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Smart was drafted with the ...

. On January 4, 2021, Pritchard scored a career-high 23 points in a 126–114 win over the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

with eight assists and two rebounds. In the next game, Pritchard made the game-winning layup in a 107-105 win over the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

. On January 12, 2021, Pritchard earned the first start of his NBA career but had an underwhelming performance only scoring 2 points in 28 minutes in a loss to the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

. This showing came in the beginning stages of what can be described as his "rookie wall" where he struggled to be as efficient and impactful as he was early in the season. While this may have been a result of Kemba Walker's reintegration into the lineup, it is also a common phenomenon associated with young players , specifically rookie guards, in which the extensive and rigorous workload of their first professional season takes its toll on the mental and physical health of the players. Pritchard alluded to his struggles later on in the season, but seemingly burst through this looming "rookie wall" in mid-April when he scored in double figures in six of seven games in a row including a new career best, 28 points in a game against the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

on April 27, 2021. Pritchard played for the Celtics in the

2021 NBA Summer League The 2021 NBA Summer League was an off-season competition held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) at the Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada on the campus of University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The summer league cons ...

and was named All-Summer League First Team after averaging 17 points and 8 assists. Pritchard helped the Celtics reach the

2022 NBA Finals The 2022 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 2021–22 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff series, the Western Conference champion Golden State War ...

where they were defeated in 6 games by the Golden State Warriors.

National team career

Pritchard represented the US at the 2015 FIBA 3x3 Under-18 World Championship where, in his best game, he had 9 three-pointers against Poland. He scored 12 points on 4 three-pointers in 14 minutes as a member of the USA National Select Team at the 2016

Nike Hoop Summit The Nike Hoop Summit is an international men's basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, held once a year since 1995, except from 2001–2003, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select Team of international ...

. Pritchard also made the US squad for the 2017 FIBA U19 World Cup in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

. Pritchard averaged 9.0 points, 3.1 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per contest during the tournament, including 16 points against

RJ Barrett Rowan Alexander "RJ" Barrett Jr. (born June 14, 2000) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected third overall in the 2019 NBA draft by the New York Knicks ...

and Canada. Team USA won the bronze medal, and Pritchard was named to the All-Star Five.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2020–21 , style="text-align:left;",

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, 66 , , 28 , , 19.2 , , .567 , , .411 , , .889 , , 2.4 , , 3.5 , , .6 , , 1 , , 7.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , style="text-align:left;",

, 71 , , 2 , , 14.1 , , .429 , , .412 , , 1.000 , , 3.9 , , 2.0 , , .4 , , .2 , , 8.2 , - class="sort bottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 137 , , 30 , , 16.6 , , .498 , , .412 , , .924 , , 3.2 , , 2.8 , , .5 , , .1 , , 7.9

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 0 , , 13.4 , , .353 , , .300 , , 1.000 , , 1.8 , , 2.4 , , .4 , , .1 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 24 , , 0 , , 12.9 , , .422 , , .124 , , .667 , , 3.2 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , .1 , , 7.8 , - class="sort bottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 29 , , 0 , , 13.0 , , .412 , , .329 , , .750 , , 1.9 , , 2.8 , , .3 , , .1 , , 4.5

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

, 39 , , 35 , , 28.3 , , .393 , , .350 , , .730 , , 3.4 , , 3.6 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 7.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",

, 36 , , 36 , , 35.1 , , .447 , , .413 , , .774 , , 3.8 , , 4.8 , , 1.4 , , .0 , , 14.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

, 38 , , 38 , , 35.5 , , .418 , , .328 , , .838 , , 3.9 , , 4.6 , , 1.8 , , .1 , , 12.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 31 , , 36.6 , , .468 , , .415 , , .821 , , 4.3 , , 5.5 , , 1.5 , , .0 , , 20.5 , - class="sort bottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 144 , , 140 , , 33.7 , , .437 , , .379 , , .800 , , 3.8 , , 4.6 , , 1.5 , , .0 , , 13.5

References

External links

Oregon Ducks bioUSA Basketball bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pritchard, Payton 1998 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Oregon Boston Celtics draft picks Boston Celtics players Oregon Ducks men's basketball players People from Tualatin, Oregon People from West Linn, Oregon Point guards Sportspeople from the Portland metropolitan area