After securing a lucrative four-year, $30 million extension with the Boston Celtics, guard Payton Pritchard is doubling down on his commitment to staying in peak condition during the offseason. While Pritchard hasn’t consistently enjoyed ample minutes on the court since the 2021-22 season, his presence as a guard remains invaluable, particularly given the Celtics’ recent offseason transactions.

 

Pritchard recently revealed a distinctive approach to offseason training. “I pay some of my friends, especially those who play overseas,” he disclosed to The Celtics Files, “to come and spend a week with me, and all they have to do is guard me. I provide them with accommodation wherever I happen to be, pay them for the week, and during those hours, we engage in small games to five points. If they manage to make a certain number of stops, they win.”

 

Celtics enthusiasts can take heart in Pritchard’s dedicated offseason regimen. His reputation as a capable shooter and ball handler off the Celtics’ bench has been well-established. Nonetheless, questions surrounding his size and defensive abilities kept him on the periphery of Boston’s rotation during the 2023 playoffs.

 

However, with the Celtics trading away Malcolm Brogdon and Marcus Smart in the offseason (acquiring only Jrue Holiday as a guard), Pritchard may find himself in a position to assume a more substantial role in the upcoming 2023-24 season.

 

The Celtics are scheduled to tip off the new campaign on October 25 at 7:30 PM ET in Madison Square Garden, facing the New York Knicks.