11 Payton Pritchard PG

Pritchard scored 11 points (3-4 FG, 3-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT) to go with three rebounds, two steals and one assist across 23 minutes in a 116-107 win over Washington on Friday.

Pritchard replicated his Dec. 27 performance , where he made all three of his attempts from behind the arc, upping his three-point percentage to 47.8 percent on the season. The guard averages 11.6 points per game when playing 23 or more minutes as he's dove into extra minutes with Kemba Walker still absent. Pritchard has come into a significant bench role over the past few games, shooting 50.0 percent from the field during his 22.9 minutes per game in his rookie season.

Pritchard generated 23 points (8-13 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 5-5 FT), eight assists and two boards across 32 minutes in Monday's 126-114 road win over Toronto.

The rookie set career highs in both points and minutes played during the eighth game of his career. Boston was missing guards Kemba Walker (knee), Jeff Teague (ankle) and Marcus Smart (thumb) on Monday. That led to Tremont Waters getting a rare start at point guard, but it was Pritchard who really shined. Pritchard's eight dimes led the Celtics. His 23 points were second for Boston, behind Jayson Tatum's 40 points. The Oregon product has quickly proven he deserves his minutes and has quickly become a fan favorite. Pritchard will try to continue his winning ways Wednesday night at Miami.

Pritchard could see increased minutes in Monday's game against Toronto with Jeff Teague (ankle) sidelined.

It's no guarantee, but Pritchard is the natural option to pick up some more minutes off the bench with Teague out. Marcus Smart (thumb) is also questionable for the Celtics, so if he, too, sits out, then Pritchard would have a chance to perhaps make his first NBA start. The rookie out of Oregon played a career-high 28 minutes Sunday against Detroit, finishing with five points, four rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block.

Pritchard posted 10 points (4-8 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 2-3 FT), five rebounds, five assists and a steal across 27 minutes in Tuesday's 116-111 win over at Indiana.

The rookie point guard sparked Boston's fourth-quarter comeback with exciting drives to the bucket and pesky defense. Pritchard and Marcus Smart led Boston with five assists each. The Oregon product has seen extra minutes due to the absence of Kemba Walker (knee). Pritchard is making the most of his opportunity and playing with surprising confidence. In his post-game presser, Jaylen Brown half-jokingly called FastPP "the GOAT" for leading the comeback. Pritchard has appeared in all four of Boston's games, averaging 22.0 minutes per game.

Pritchard played 23 minutes and finished with 13 points (5-5 FG, 3-3 3PT) in Sunday night's loss to the Pacers.

The rookie out of Oregon has been an immediate contributor for the Celtics, who are in need of point guard depth with Kemba Walker (knee) on the shelf. Through three games, Pritchard is averaging 7.7 points, 1.0 rebound, 1.0 assist and 1.7 made threes in 20.3 minutes.

Pritchard had 16 points (6-10 FG, 2-6 3PT, 2-2 FT), four rebounds and two assists in Tuesday's preseason game against the 76ers.

Pritchard saw extended time off the bench, playing 22 minutes on a night when 13 Celtics saw at least 10 minutes of action. The rookie may have a difficult time holding a consistent role to begin the regular season, but his chances to earn backup minutes will increase as long as Kemba Walker (knee) continues to battle injury.