Often, top-100 participant rankings preserve us busy in the course of the summer time as all of us crave scorching subjects to debate and debate. Nonetheless, The Ringer simply up to date its record, and the Celtics have a brand new member: Payton Pritchard.
Zach Kram, one in every of The Ringer’s long-standing writers, broke the information yesterday with the up to date rankings. After an ideal begin to the season, Payton Pritchard has earned his place on the celebrated record. For every participant, The Ringer assigns badges, much like NBA 2K. Pritchard’s first Prime 100 badges are: “Spacer,” “Motion Shooter,” and “Hustle.” Proper on the right track.
Tempo and Area
An excellent current instance of Payton Pritchard as a “spacer” got here within the Celtics’ final sport in opposition to Memphis, the place he performed all the fourth quarter, changing Jrue Vacation, whom the Grizzlies handled as a non-shooter. Why? As Danny Chau writes:
“Pritchard has solidified himself as one of many preeminent motion shooters within the league and has leveraged his off-ball gravity in different Curry-esque methods.”
Certainly, Pritchard’s off-ball motion is each vicious and impactful, complementing his taking pictures performances this season. The 2 are, after all, correlated — however he persistently outruns his matchup, creating chaos together with his relentless motion. One other underrated talent of Pritchard’s is his potential to set screens.
Whether or not in easy pick-and-pop actions or Spain pick-and-roll units, his sturdy legs and higher physique disrupt defenses. Furthermore, he can dash into open area past the three-point line instantly after setting a display, additional stretching defenses.
Hustle
Pritchard could be perceived as merely a “shooter,” however his offensive sport has one other underappreciated layer: rebounding, particularly his potential to seize offensive rebounds. Over his first few NBA seasons, he ranked within the prime 20% of guards in offensive rebounding, based on Cleansing the Glass. Much more impressively, the Celtics as a workforce seize extra offensive rebounds with him on the ground.
Final season, the Celtics’ offensive rebound charge elevated by +8.3% when Pritchard was on the court docket — a determine that positioned him within the 98th percentile amongst guards. This stat underscores his dedication to doing no matter it takes to assist his workforce. From being a star at Oregon to turning into a lethal NBA shooter, Pritchard has added a useful potential to show missed photographs into further alternatives for the Celtics.
Maybe this success is contextual? As Chau notes:
“Is he primarily a beneficiary of all the eye that each different Celtics star on the ground attracts? In fact he’s. However he’s flawlessly taking part in the hand he’s been dealt, and in a manner that enhances the standard of play of everybody round him.”
Regardless, within the Celtics’ traditionally potent offense, Pritchard is taking part in his position completely, persevering with to show the doubters mistaken.
