Eddie House breaks down why the Celtics have every reason to believe that they’re the best team in the NBA this season and why they need to lean even more into that mindset. He also explains why the team’s “basketball IQ” is higher this season with Jrue Holiday on the roster.
Payton Pritchard’s patience after a frustration-filled 2022-23 season was rewarded Sunday as the fourth-year guard agreed to a long-term extension with the Boston Celtics.
Pritchard will ink a four-year, $30 million extension, his agency told ESPN. He will earn $4 million this year in the final season of his rookie pact. The $7.5 million average value of his new pact isn’t too much north of the $6 million qualifying offer that Boston could have offered next summer if he waded into the murky waters of restricted free agency.
For Boston, locking up Pritchard at a modest number helps regardless of how the future unfolds. If he meets the hype surrounding his offseason progress and blossoms into a steady third guard, the Celtics have a potential playoff-rotation player at a sliver of the salary cap (just over 5 percent of next year’s projection).
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If Pritchard still struggles to consistently crack Boston’s rotation, his salary is trade-friendly and gives the Celtics flexibility in crafting a variety of future packages.
For his part, Pritchard admitted his frustrations last season weren’t with the team but simply with the glut of ball-handlers in front of him that limited his playing time. Pritchard played a career-low 13.4 minutes per game last season while shooting just 36.4 percent from beyond the arc. By comparison, he shot 41.1 percent on 19.2 minutes per game as a rookie during the 2020-21 season.
When Pritchard did get opportunities last season, it sometimes felt like he was pressing to show he deserved more time. Those who watched Boston during informal workouts this fall, and then training camp practices, have routinely gushed about how Pritchard looks in the ramp to the season.
Pritchard is excited to showcase his progress.
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"My approach doesn't ever change. I went into this summer really hungry, but I think throughout last year, I got a lot better,” Pritchard told NBC Sports Boston. “People weren't able to necessarily see that in games. But I really worked on my craft and was able to really get better at certain areas because I wasn't playing.
“Obviously, I was frustrated with last year. It had nothing to do with teammates, organization, or anything like that. It had solely to do with playing and competing because that's what I love to do. So I've been clear about that the whole time."
Even with the arrival of Jrue Holiday, the Celtics should have playing time for Pritchard after the departures of Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon.
Teammate Sam Hauser emphasized Pritchard's progress on Saturday.
"I think Payton’s had a great camp. He’s really, really been aggressive,” said Hauser. "He worked really hard this summer and I think he’s out for blood this year so I’m really excited to see what he has to bring to the table.”
