{"id":4888,"date":"2025-04-30T17:46:15","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T17:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/4888\/"},"modified":"2025-04-30T17:46:15","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T17:46:15","slug":"the-celtics-survived-jrue-holidays-absence-and-payton-pritchard-was-a-big-reason-why-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/4888\/","title":{"rendered":"The Celtics survived Jrue Holiday\u2019s absence \u2014 and Payton Pritchard was a big reason why"},"content":{"rendered":"

BOSTON \u2014 At a March shootaround in Miami earlier this season, Payton Pritchard emphasized the pride he\u2019s taken in his defensive growth: the backup point guard told CelticsBlog<\/a> he aspired to become one of the Celtics<\/a>\u2019 top defenders. <\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be that guy,\u201d he said, explaining that he relishes the moments when opposing stars target him. <\/p>\n

In a five-game playoff series against the Orlando Magic, Pritchard demonstrated those words don\u2019t ring hollow: he\u2019s become an asset on that end of the floor. <\/p>\n

When Jrue Holiday<\/a> went down with a hamstring strain after Game 2, the Celtics found themselves in a bind. Their most versatile defender, who primarily had the Paolo Banchero defensive assignment in the first two games, was suddenly sidelined. <\/p>\n

Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said before Game 5 that game-planning against a Holiday-less Celtics team proved massively different than preparing for a fully-loaded one, rattling through the ways Holiday impacts the game. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe adds so many small intangible things to this team,\u201d Mosley said. \u201cHis toughness, his resolve on the court, he never gets rattled. He blows up all the things you\u2019re trying to run.\u201d <\/p>\n

Then, unprompted, Mosley brought up the NBA\u2019s\u2019 Sixth Man of the Year.<\/a> <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just been Payton Pritchard who\u2019s stepped into that role now,\u201d he said. \u201cHe\u2019s moved into the, \u2018he\u2019s gonna pick up full court [role].\u2019 He\u2019s gonna change the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Offensively, it was an up-and-down playoff series for Pritchard after finishing the best regular season of his NBA career. <\/p>\n

He averaged 9.2 points per game on 51.2% shooting in the first round, hitting 50% of his attempts from beyond the arc. His scoring contributions were particularly crucial in the first two games; he opened up the playoffs with a 19-point Game 1 barrage and followed that effort with a 14-point Game 2, shooting 11-for-19 in the wins. In Games 3 and 4, the Magic\u2019s stifling defense relegated him to a more ancillary role on offense, as he converted only 1-of-4 field goal attempts across more than 50 minutes.<\/p>\n

Still, he continued to impact winning, regardless of whether he found openings on offense. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

With Jrue Holiday sidelined, Payton Pritchard made his mark defensively<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something I want to be known for,\u201d Pritchard told CelticsBlog after the Celtics\u2019 close-out Game 5 victory. \u201cI\u2019ve said that, being a two-way player. I know people in the past wanted to say that I\u2019ve maybe been a liability, but that\u2019s something I\u2019m trying to strive to overcome and be a great on-ball defender that can just take people out of a series.\u201d <\/p>\n

A younger Pritchard might\u2019ve grown frustrated with his lack of scoring. Now, he viewed it as an opportunity to contribute elsewhere. <\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, you want to score,\u201d Pritchard said. \u201cIt\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

He held Banchero and Franz Wagner to a combined 3-for-11 shooting on switches, and the Magic referenced his ball pressure as part of the reason Orlando slowed down on offense. <\/p>\n

\u201cI probably figured they would (target me), but where I\u2019m at my best is ball pressure, up high,\u201d Pritchard said. \u201cIf I play them into my game, then I have the advantage. Obviously, if they catch it down on the block, they\u2019re 6-10, that\u2019s more their advantage. So if I can push the catches out and just make things tough every time, then I should be alright. That\u2019s what I strive to do, and I felt like I did a good job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eventually, Banchero and Wagner seemingly stopped hunting Pritchard altogether. Pritchard noticed it, too. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey stopped going to it, because for them, it was having to work extra just to even get down there,\u201d Pritchard said, adding he realized the Magic stars had to carefully think about their moves once they finally got the switch they pursued. \u201cI think I did a good job in that area.\u201d <\/p>\n

In the series finale, Orlando\u2019s players shot 3-for-11 when guarded by Pritchard. <\/p>\n

Still, Payton Pritchard wasn\u2019t trying to replace Jrue Holiday<\/p>\n

Holiday, whose NBA contemporaries routinely praise as one of the best guard defenders in the modern era, remains day-to-day with a right hamstring strain that the Celtics have shared little information about. <\/p>\n

And, while he\u2019s out, Pritchard made clear he wasn\u2019t trying to be Jrue Holiday. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was just trying to play hard,\u201d he said, adding a line that Celtics players often utter: \u201cJrue\u2019s unbelievable.\u201d <\/p>\n

Al Horford noted that Holiday\u2019s defensive impact is immeasurable, but nonetheless agreed with Mosley\u2019s perception that Pritchard had stepped up in his absence. <\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like Payton, all series, his ball pressure, his impact was noticeable,\u201d Horford said. \u201cHe was just trying to find ways to impact the game, to impact winning. Payton was key for us there. <\/p>\n

Asked Al Horford about Payton Pritchard stepping up defensively in Jrue Holiday\u2019s absence: <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat Jrue does for us \u2014 it’s elite. The impact that he has on our team, you can’t measure it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c I felt like Payton all series, his ball pressure, his impact was noticeable.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/yvocD68fiI<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) April 30, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Pritchard\u2019s Celtics teammates have a first-hand appreciation of what that relenting ball pressure is like. <\/p>\n

\u201cGoing up against somebody like Payton is difficult \u2014 I\u2019d hate to do it,\u201d Holiday said earlier this season. \u201cSometimes you just like the easy games, especially when you\u2019re in the backcourt. Payton makes it difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pritchard will work to limit his single-digit scoring games as the Celtics\u2019 postseason run continues. But they don\u2019t dictate his effectiveness.<\/p>\n

Regardless of whether the shots fall \u2014 or if he gets the attempts in the first place \u2014 he ensures his defense isn\u2019t impacted. <\/p>\n

\u201cI just try to leave my impact on stuff I can control,\u201d he said. \u201cSometimes, I can\u2019t control if I\u2019m gonna get shots… I can control my effort defensively and trying to rebound.\u201d<\/p>\n