Payton Pritchard's importance to the Boston Celtics can't be ignored

When the Boston Celtics drafted Payton Pritchard with the 26th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, he was viewed as another undersized guard who could potentially provide a scoring spark off the bench. And while that was true, it's become incredibly clear that Pritchard is far more than that. The Oregon product has developed into one of the most reliable sharpshooting guards in the NBA, is a proven contributor both off the bench and as a starter and has begun to flourish as a playmaker.

In Jayson Tatum's absence, Pritchard has assumed a significantly larger role within the Celtics' offense. He's third on the team for touches per game, and is currently averaging 16.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per night. When his perimeter shot wasn't falling to begin the season, Pritchard pivoted to getting downhill to pressure the rim and attack the mid-range. He's emerging as one of the Celtics' most important rotation players.

In a recent episode of the "Bob Ryan and Jeff Goodman NBA Podcast," hosts Bob Ryan, Gary Tanguay and Jeff Goodman dove deep into Pritchard's continued improvements, his importance to the Celtics and how he's successfully navigated a slow start to the season.

You can watch the full podcast episode by clicking on the embedded video above.

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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Payton Pritchard's importance to the Celtics can't be ignored