How Celtics’ Payton Pritchard uses amateur ballers, humid gyms, Chipotle bribes to refine his craft in offseason appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Boston Celtics point guard Payton Pritchard earned a $44 million contract extension for steady growth every season since he was drafted. Celtics’ Pritchard takes pride in his underdog approach as an undersized guard making a name for himself in the NBA. He earned Sixth Man of the Year last season, and is expected to take on an increased role for Boston.
As part of his offseason regimen, Pritchard will pay college athletes and amateur ballers to workout with him in Cape Cod, MA to help give him an in-game feel amid training, starting at 6:45 in the morning on a hot summer day in June, per ESPN’s Hallie Grossman.
“There’s just something about a humid gym,” Pritchard says.
Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (free trial)
Celtics’ Payton Pritchard used to train in his home state of Oregon during the offseason, but the scorching 100+ degree weather made it a tougher sell for players he’d fly out to workout with him.
“The conditions in his Cape Cod accommodations are temperate by comparison. And anyway, Pritchard likes the muck,” Grossman reported. “The muck is why he has been recruiting Division II and III basketball players, international guys and hometown buddies to high school gyms for years now.
“They’re not exactly a ragtag motley crew, but they’re not polished professionals either, and Pritchard figures that makes them hungry. He’ll pay for their gas to drive down from Boston to the Cape, or their flights to cross the country or an ocean, because they can be counted on to play feisty, relentless one-on-one defense.”
Pritchard works meticulously on his iso game, which has been a staple of his game, albeit attacking the rim, pulling up for a jumper, or finding an open cutter amidst on-ball pressure.
“Today, as ever, it’s death by repetition for Pritchard. Bump his defender, create space, shoot. Beat his defender, get to his spot, shoot. React to his defender chasing him. Drive to the basket because his defender is chasing him from too far behind,” Grossman added. “About 30 minutes in, Bruce Saintilus, recently of Division III Clark University and one of Pritchard’s defenders for the summer, is the one chasing Pritchard. He’s feeling himself, certain that he has forced Pritchard into a bad angle.
“But Saintilus runs past the basket, so he doesn’t get to see Pritchard attempt an awkward layup. Still, Saintilus knows. He shouts over — to Soares, or maybe to the basketball gods for forsaking him and his defense — “Did that really go in?”
It did.”
Over the summer, Celtics guard Payton Pritchard will get in as many reps as possible in an effort to replicate an NBA game.
“Pritchard will do 150 possessions in his elaborate dance around the basketball court — the block, the elbow, the other elbow, the 3-point line, the corner, the wing, the high slot, the middle, the opposite slot — going one-on-one versus a rotating cast of defenders,” Grossman said. “They’ll get breaks, he won’t, and if Pritchard shoots under 60% on the day, his defenders eat like kings at Chipotle and then send him the bill.
He considers it a small price to pay for the thousands of live looks he gets over the summer, for the chance to square up against one man and try to best him. And then do it again and again, filing it all away in his mental archive. How much basketball data mining is too much? The limit does not exist.”
The Celtics improved to 1-1 after beating the New York Knicks 107-103 on Friday. They’ll host the Chicago Bulls at TD Garden on Monday.
Related: Allen Iverson told Celtics’ Payton Pritchard during playoffs he’s ‘coldest white boy I’ve ever seen’
Related: Kevin Garnett claims ‘real arrogant’ Kobe Bryant led to Celtics trade over Lakers