Payton Pritchard talks about his defensive goals, saying it “irks” him when people call him a defensive liability.
Payton Pritchard is in the midst of a breakout season for the Boston Celtics, but despite all of his success so far, the 26-year-old point guard is far from satisfied.
Pritchard is averaging a career-high 16.5 points, along with 3.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and one steal per game. He's also posting career highs with a 48.5 field goal percentage and 43.5 3-point percentage. Pritchard's 101 3-pointers made are the second-most in the league behind Anthony Edwards' 108.
This isn't just a hot streak, either. We now have a legitimate 26-game sample of Pritchard playing at an elevated level.
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The 2020 first-round draft pick is, at this moment, among the top candidates for the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award.
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But Pritchard knows there's still plenty of room for improvement. And he detailed what that looks like after scoring 15 points with 11 rebounds and six assists in helping the Celtics beat the Washington Wizards 112-98 on the road Sunday night.
“I really want to be known as a two-way player,” Pritchard told reporters in his postgame press conference. “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 also highlighted some specific things he wants to keep working on to improve defensively.
“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 ... 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. There's a lot of growth there still."
Pritchard is a very competitive player. He doesn't back down, and he's not afraid of physicality. He's made good strides defensively since arriving in Boston, and with his work ethic, it wouldn't be surprising if he becomes a legit two-way player in the near future.