Why Joe Mazzulla hugged Payton Pritchard after the Celtics guard answered his challenge

There aren’t many opportunities for a dagger three-pointer in the middle of the second quarter, but Paul George had one.

He had just drilled a 30-footer on a possession where the Chicago Bulls actually played some pretty good defense for once. He stole a Josh Giddey pass on the next possession, and the Bulls decided that leaving him wide open in transition would be a good idea. He stepped into a perfectly in-rhythm shot that just barely rimmed out.

No worries. Payton Pritchard was there to take the baton and run with it.

He boxed out 6-foot-9 Matas Buzelis, corralled the tipped rebound, and laid the ball in while Buzelis fell and slid 10 feet from the play.

He turned to the Boston Celtics bench and gave them a big stank face while his teammates all made the “too little” gesture. The arena was on fire. Then Giddey turned it over again, tossing a pass directly to Derrick White, who found Pritchard in the same spot George had stood 24 seconds prior.

He didn’t miss.

He flexed, strutted back to the bench, and got a hug … and a few hearty thumps on the back … from Joe Mazzulla.

“Joe challenged me,” Pritchard said after the easy win. “I feel like the first four games my defensive activity and my rebounding have been poor. So I felt like coming out today … [he was] challenging me to step up in that area. I think the hug was for me doing that. … So, we’ve been through a lot together, and it’s just great to keep it going.”

Challenged? Pritchard is a former Sixth Man of the Year. Everyone knows he’s critical to Boston’s success, and he’s shown it. What’s there to challenge?

“Just being active and being back to being a pest and creating opportunities for steals and just ball pressure,” Pritchard said of where he’d slipped. “… In the past I’ve been a good rebounder, but this year I haven’t. Like I haven’t rebounded well, haven’t boxed that well. So there’s things I watch and just got to get back to that area that I’m really good at.”

Not defined by one thing

It would be easy for Pritchard to retreat into a comfortable role. He’s 6-foot-1, but he has a killer handle, and he can shoot the lights out. He could make a nice living just getting to a spot and firing up 30-foot bombs. But that’s never been enough for him. And it’s certainly not enough for his coach.

“I think the sky’s the limit for him,” Mazzulla said. “I think he hasn’t completely tapped into the player that he can become, and that’s just being complete on both ends of the floor and not being defined by one thing. I think in tonight’s game, you saw the absolute best version of him.”

Pritchard is a bit of an athletic anomaly, but in a different way than, say, Jayson Tatum and his ability to play like a guard at the size of a power forward. Pritchard’s speed and ability to change directions are supercharged by his durability and drive. It takes him tapping into all of that to be the best version of himself.

“It takes a ton of energy, you’re not going to be able to do that every single night,” Mazzulla said. “But the sky’s the limit for him, and as we continue to grow as a team, and he continues to grow as a player, being a complete player on both ends of the floor really helps us take it to a different level. So he’s got more in the tank. He’s a kid that can continue to get better and better. I like pushing him. I like coaching him and love him like a brother.”

Pressure is a privilege

It’s one thing to push a player, but it’s an entirely different thing to be pushed. It would be understandable for a guy who seems to be giving everything he has to this team and the game to bristle at being asked for more. Pritchard is known for his work ethic and getting every ounce of basketball out of his body.

And this guy wants more?

Okay, cool.

“Pressure is a privilege,” Pritchard said. “It’s gonna make me better, and I’m gonna figure out how to be a complete player, and I’m gonna catch my stride in all those areas and just get better and better. So obviously I’ve been through some struggles early on this season, and had some poor games, and honestly, just the defensive effort of rebounding has been poor, so cleaning up that area, and it just leads to more success offensively, and just being a complete player. So I appreciate Joe testing me and challenging me to be better because the team needs me to be better, and that’s what I want. So it’s a good thing.”

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