Payton Pritchard has a message for his Boston Celtics teammates as they approach the playoffs: be ready.
According to Pritchard, in the playoffs, somebody can come in big for the team and win a game. He believes that to reach a championship, the Celtics need their full roster.
Pritchard’s Playoff Experience
Pritchard spent the majority of his career before last season in the same position as his less-experienced teammates. He averaged less than 20 minutes per game in each of his first four playoff runs, yet he still managed to put together memorable performances.
His Game 2 outing against the Brooklyn Nets in 2022 is one example. Pritchard scored 10 fourth-quarter points to help Boston solidify a 17-point comeback over the Nets.
He wasn’t afraid of the moment and took his opportunities in stride.
Advice for the ‘Stay Ready’ Crew
Pritchard, the reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year, knows he can be a voice for Boston’s stay ready crew. His message to them is simple.
“Just stay with your work, keep it, keep your mental right,” Pritchard said. “It’s another season really, like the playoffs is a whole nother season. It’s another championship, another two months. So you know, every game, be ready. [If the opportunity] doesn’t come that game be ready for the next one, and then you just never know when your moment’s gonna hit.”
The Importance of Depth
Throughout the regular season, just about everyone on the Boston Celtics roster had opportunities come their way. Some games it would be Baylor Scheierman, others it was Hugo Gonzalez, or Jordan Walsh. Luka Garza would go from stretches of DNP-CDs to legitimately changing the momentum of games with his hustle.
The identity of this Celtics team is partly defined by its tremendous depth.
- Baylor Scheierman
- Hugo Gonzalez
- Jordan Walsh
- Luka Garza
It would be shocking if their entire postseason run went without some semblance of an unsung hero. It doesn’t mean any of those players is necessarily going to have to take on a role larger than they can handle for an extended period. But maybe it’ll happen for a game.
Maybe one of Scheierman, Gonzalez, Walsh, or Garza will have a performance that swings the outcome on a given night.
That’s what makes the playoffs special. There’s always the “(insert player here) game.”
“Everybody’s got to be prepared,” Pritchard said at Tuesday’s practice.
Scheierman’s, Gonzalez’s, Walsh’s, or Garza’s first big playoff moment could come at any time. They’ll just have to be ready.