Clip of Payton Pritchard Comparing NBA, College Hoops Resurfaces After 40-Point Game

The guard enjoyed a career evening Wednesday.

Payton Pritchard shoots during the Celtics' 117–97 loss to the Pistons on Feb. 26, 2025. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard was a certified Big Man on Campus once upon a time—a walking bucket for a 2020 Oregon team eyeing a deep NCAA men's tournament run before fate intervened in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Not all college stars continue their bucket-getting ways in the North American professional ranks, but those who do often have an interesting perspective to offer on two very unlike games.

On Wednesday, Pritchard poured in 43 points for the Celtics in a 128–118 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. That led fans to recirculate a clip from a January episode of The Young Man and the Three podcast, where Pritchard and fellow Boston guard Derrick White discussed scoring in college and the pros.

“It’s easier, I think, to score in the NBA than college” — Payton Pritchard and Derrick White discuss the differences between college and the NBA pic.twitter.com/s4Hbyem8TW

— TheYoungManAndTheThree (@OldManAndThree) January 8, 2025

"Offensively, I think, it's easier to score in the NBA than in college," Pritchard said, to agreement from White—who scored 41 points of his own Wednesday. "I feel like college is similar to... Europe. It's like, Europe's harder, but also because you can camp in the lane. Usually the big man's sitting there. You're not gonna have as many shooters."

Pritchard's career high in college was 38 in a tight ranked-ranked overtime matchup with Arizona in Feb. '20. Now, he has an even more productive outing to look back on with pride.

---

More NBA on Sports Illustrated

feed