Payton Pritchard, irked by comments about his defense, strives to prove doubters wrong every night
"Every game I go out and I try to prove that narrative wrong."
Payton Pritchard’s growth on the offensive end of the floor has propelled him to the forefront of the NBA Sixth Man of the Year conversation.
But, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound guard has also had to prove himself on the defensive end night in and night out over the course of his career.
As an undersized point guard, he has had to scrap and claw to earn a reputation as a solid NBA defender. It’s something he still takes a lot of pride in.
“I really want to be known as a two-way player,” Pritchard said. “People like to – sometimes I see things that say I’m a defensive liability and it irks me. Every game I go out and I try to prove that narrative wrong. Me trying to be a complete two-way player is something I will always strive to be. If I can be known as an elite on-ball player and an elite offensive player, then that’s a big goal of mine.”
Pritchard was asked what that growth might look like. He began his answer with making things more difficult for opposing scorers.
“Just making things tough,” Pritchard said. “People in the league, they’re going to hit tough shots. I could play great defense, and they could still hit it just like they could do on me. I could hit a tough shot with a person right in my grill.
“It’s just coming back and doing it play after play after play and by the end of the game their legs are a little bit tired so it causes them to miss. That’s doing your job. Causing deflections, getting steals. Eventually, hopefully I’ll get better at taking charges. I’m not the best at that. It’s something I’ve got to keep working on but I’ve got a lot better at using my hands and just creating havoc.”
Pritchard recently called out Gilbert Arenas for comments about him and Drew Peterson. Arenas said there was “no way in hell’ the Celtics should be playing Pritchard and Peterson on the floor at the same time.
Pritchard responded by asking why on Instagram and later told The Athletic that he was disappointed by Arenas’s words. He said that he used to look up to Arenas as a player and that he thought the comments had to do with his skin color.
There have been a number of people over the years who have doubted Pritchard’s ability to defend at a high level in the NBA.
For example, The Athletic wrote in a 2020 scouting report that Pritchard’s competitiveness allowed him not to be a liability in college, but Pritchard needed to prove that he wouldn’t get picked apart on the defensive end as a smaller guard with concerns about his lateral quickness.
Pritchard has emerged as one of the most efficient offensive players in the league, but his defense is still a work in progress. He has improved at it and appears to hold his own for the most part. He’s still a bigger threat on offense than defense.
But, Pritchard’s hustle, competitiveness, and drive sometimes lead him to do things guards of his size typically don’t do. He grabbed 11 rebounds in the win over Washington Sunday night.
“Just him becoming a complete player. It’s not just the offense, it’s his rebounding,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “He takes the pressure off of Jrue and Jaylen who are matched up with some of the best players night in and night out and when you can do that and have another guy that can kind of just take him out of his rhythm, he’s becoming a complete player.”
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