BOSTON — Payton Pritchard came up unprompted as Jamahl Mosley spoke about the impact Jrue Holiday’s absence had on the Magic’s preparation over the past three games. What came as some relief diminished when Orlando saw the way Pritchard defended.
“(Holiday) blows up all the things you’re trying to run offensively,” Mosley said. “He finds different ways, and the great part, talk about the coaching battle, it’s just been Payton Pritchard who’s stepped into that role now. He’s moved into the, he’s gonna pick up full court. He’s gonna change the game, and now they’re roaming off of Horford in situations, so those guys have just taken on that role now with (Jrue) being out.”
That praise followed two games where Pritchard scored only three points across 50 minutes, receiving only four shot attempts and placed into a position that might’ve frustrated his younger self. Instead, Pritchard utilized the Magic leaning further into guarding Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum on an island as an opportunity to test his defensive growth. His ability to survive, and thrive at times, in his own end which allowed him to log positive minutes in a series where the Celtics’ bench faltered.
Sam Hauser didn’t score until Game 4. Luke Kornet’s offense scaled back from his breakout regular season.
“Obviously, we went to Orlando and the bench, we didn’t get any looks or shots, which is ok, that’s their game plan, but eventually, water finds its level. We start to make plays and then there’s an avalanche in the second half,” Pritchard told CLNS Media & CelticsBlog after Game 5. “Obviously, you want to score. It’s not possible every game with the people we have on our team. Sometimes, they take that load and so, how can you make an impact? For me, it was every game, ball pressure, getting into the ball, making it tough every time. So I just try to leave my impact on stuff I can control. Sometimes, I can’t control if I’m gonna get shots or have that. I can control my effort defensively and trying to rebound.”
Pritchard heard Mosley’s Holiday comparison and appreciated someone acknowledging him for his defense. Neither Pritchard nor Al Horford fully embraced it though, emphasizing Holiday’s elite impact on that end while acknowledging that Pritchard made things difficult on the Magic by playing closer to half court. Orlando’s players noted that he and Holiday challenged their ability to get into the half court quickly as they tried to speed things up after Game 1. Through two games, Boston outscored the Magic by more than 19 points per 100 possessions with Holiday on the floor.
That margin reduced to roughly four points through three games that stood close until Boston pulled away in the second half of Game 5 for a 27-point win. Pritchard held his assignments to 3-of-11 shooting, and the Magic’s players finished 37% when guarded by Pritchard in the series. He knew they could back him down in the post almost across the board, so he tried to dictate where he defended from with his presses. Pritchard has learned fro his All-Defensive teammates in the back court, and has expressed interest in taking more charges.
“It’s something I want to be known for,” Pritchard said. “Being a two-way player. I know people in the past wanted to say that I’ve maybe been a liability, but that’s something I’m trying to strive to overcome and be a great on-ball defender that can just take people out of a series … I probably figured they would (target me), but where I’m at my best is ball pressure, up high. If I play them into my game, then I have the advantage. Obviously, if they catch it down on the block, they’re 6-10, that’s more their advantage.”
The Celtics could’ve felt Holiday’s absence most against Paolo Banchero, who he primarily guarded through the first two wins. He challenged Banchero, holding him without a make in the first game when they clashed, by knowing his tendencies and hounding the ball when Banchero faced him up, and staying strong when he backed Holiday down. Pritchard leaned on the former strategy, seeking to pressure and force difficult shots against him. Banchero went 2-for-8 through five games when guarded by Pritchard. Franz Wagner followed by trying to attack Pritchard, shooting 1-for-3.
Then, the Magic relented. While foul trouble played a significant role in Banchero’s 19-point performance, he targeted Hauser and Boston’s centers around screens more than he went at Pritchard. Wagner also focused more on beating his wing matchups than trying to lure Pritchard switches. Pritchard generated three steals when the Magic challenged him earlier in the series. That happened less often into Game 5, where the Magic shot 3-for-11 against him. While Boston will need his scoring into round two, he didn’t let the five points he posted across five halves into Tuesday impact him.
He assessed ways he could push the pace, focused on getting Kristaps Porziņģis going and defended. Then, when the floodgates opened from three late in Game 5, he joined with back-to-back threes in the fourth to build a 24-point lead. The Celtics won Pritchard’s minutes by 29 points, managing a +4.9 net rating without Holiday.
“I wasn’t necessarily trying to have (Holiday’s) impact.” Pritchard said. “I was just trying to play hard, and obviously defensively, It was just trying to play hard, and obviously defensively, Jrue’s unbelievable. So somebody that can pick up the ball every time and just make it tough, and we have so many stars offensively, you’re not gonna have the ball a ton, but when you do have it, you gotta take advantage, you gotta hit at key moments.”
