One of the biggest missing pieces in the Boston Celtics’ increasingly airtight game has been a lack of scoring off of the bench, even after the team retooled its rotation from top to bottom at the 2022 NBA trade deadline with an eye to reshaping the team to share the ball — and the scoring load — more.
But in recent games, second-year combo guard Payton Pritchard has been helping to pick up the slack in that regard, most notably in the Celtics’ big win over the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center midway through their final West Coast swing of the 2021-22 NBA season.
“It’s huge,” related Boston head coach Ime Udoka after the Kings win that saw Pritchard put up 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists in 21 minutes. “He’s obviously one of our best shooters.”
Payton Pritchard highlights: Celtics reserve guard gets 14 points, 5 boards, 8 assists vs. Kings https://t.co/xVdESnvMuF
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) March 19, 2022
