Dating back to his rookie year, Payton Pritchard has consistently seen an inconsistent amount of playing time. Add in the fact that he is now heading into his fourth season, that’s enough reason for an NBA player to request a trade. The inconsistency in his playing time was above all. Payton Pritchard is unhappy in Boston and has asked to be traded.
The 25-year-old averaged 5.6 points and 1.3 assists in 13.4 minutes per game – all career-lows – over his 48 appearances this season under first-year coach Joe Mazzulla. Pritchard’s minutes decreased even more in the playoffs, where he averaged 5.7 per game, while only appearing in 10 of the Celtic’s playoff games.
After the acquisition of Malcolm Brogdon, some decrease was expected to happen. Brogdon was immediately slated to be the backup to starter Marcus Smart. Deservedly so, Brogdon won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award. Then, there was the emergence of Derrick White that also cut into the minutes of Pritchard pushing him further out of the rotation.
Heading into next season, it’s unlikely for Pritchard to get any sort of increase in play. He knows that which is why he desires to be moved. Payton Pritchard is unhappy with his current situation. Though, there’s one problem… it may be hard for them to facilitate a trade. Pritchard’s offense is a plus, but with every plus there comes a negative. For Pritchard, those negatives are his size (6-foot-1) and his defense.
“He plays hard, but there are going to be questions about his size and his defense, with everyone playing pick-and-roll and forcing switches,” an unnamed general manager told heavy.com.
Over the course of his first three seasons, Pritchard struggled to find his own shot which created a problem for his individuality. The third-year guard has always been a team player dating back to his days at Oregon.
“I don’t see where he ever just went after his own. He moved the ball and played a team game,” the general manager told heavy.com. “But he has to be looking at his career and where it’s going.”
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