Backup guard Payton Pritchard has solidified his reputation as one of the Boston Celtics’ most underrated players.
As the Celtics prepare to face the Washington Wizards on Sunday, Pritchard is averaging 16.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game across 25 games this season. He is shooting an impressive 48.8 percent from the field and 43.2 percent from three-point range.
Pritchard is Boston’s fifth-leading scorer, trailing only Jayson Tatum (28.2 points per game), Jaylen Brown (24.5), Kristaps Porzingis (20.3), and Derrick White (17.5).
In Thursday’s 123-99 victory over the Detroit Pistons, Pritchard came off the bench to hit seven three-pointers on his way to 27 points and dished out 10 assists. He also became the 10th player in franchise history to make at least 500 career three-pointers.
Pritchard’s strong start to the season has positioned him as a leading candidate for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award.
The Wizards, who have the worst record in the NBA at 3-20, showed resilience in their 115-105 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. They were within five points with less than two minutes remaining, marking their 18th loss in the past 19 games.
In that game, Cleveland attempted 40 free throws, 29 more than Washington.
While Jordan Poole leads the Wizards in scoring with 20.2 points per game, Bilal Coulibaly matched his career-high with 27 points — 14.5 more than his season average — in the loss to Cleveland. Coulibaly also made a career-high five three-pointers.
The Wizards have also seen significant contributions from Justin Champagnie, who has started the past three games and averaged 17.7 points and 8.0 rebounds during that stretch. Champagnie, 23, is on a two-way contract with Washington.
Boston was without Jayson Tatum (knee) and Sam Hauser (adductor strain) for their victory over Detroit, but both participated in a team workout on Friday.
The Celtics are 2-0 against the Wizards this season, with both wins coming on the road. The Wizards, who are 2-10 at home this season, have lost their past six meetings overall with the Celtics.
