So far, the Boston Celtics are 4-o this 2024-25 preseason. The starters have shown some good performances with their minutes, but the real fun is coming from the bench unit's spitfire guard. Payton Pritchard has demonstrated some fantastic skills as he leads the preseason group. The bench as a whole is looking deadly, and adding Lonnie Walker looks like the right move so far.

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Abu Dhabi, meet Payton Pritchard

The show started overseas in Abu Dhabi against the Denver Nuggets. It would be a mishmash of starters and bench players taking minutes during this game, but Pritchard and fellow bench player Jordan Walsh would have the most with 24 and 25.

Pritchard would go 6-13 from the field in this game and 6-12 from three, bringing him to 21 points and making him the game leader. He also had six solid assists as he played point, leading the offensive motion.

The Celtics would get another win against the Nuggets two days later, and although he played fewer minutes, Pritchard would still have a great performance. In the 130-104 win, the guard would get himself 14 points in 16 minutes. He was 5-7 from the field and 2-3 from three. He also had five assists and one steal.

Staying in the double digits

Pritchard's worst showing points-wise would be the blowout win against the Philadelphia 76ers. However, alongside his 11 points, he had eight assists in the 17 minutes he played. He was 4-12 from the field and 3-7 from three-point land.

Things would turn back around for the guard in the narrow 115-111 victory against the Toronto Raptors. Pritchard would play 24 minutes and cash 19 points, going 7-13 from the field and 5-11 from three.

What was most important about the game against Toronto was that the bench unit played a majority of the minutes against Toronto's starting five. They blew them out in the first half, finally slowing down and losing momentum in the second half. Not a single starter stepped onto the court, making the Boston bench look like a playoff contender.

Pritchard's role come the regular season

There's a good chance Pritchard will find some starting minutes this season against certain teams. Obviously, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday will lead the guard positions, but Pritchard will probably step in at some point. He's shown that he can lead and be extremely useful.

We've already seen a shot-clock buzzer beater from three out of him this preseason. Beating the buzzer from deep has become a Payton Pritchard specialty, but his shots also look crisp and clean coming out of his shooting motion.

There are plenty of clips of Pritchard hitting daggers with the defense in his grill and smoothly going into the stepback. The guard is also looking quick, cutting through defense. There's no question that Pritchard could easily be a starting guard on a different team. He's become a battery booster off the bench for the Celtics and is going to be a major contributor in the regular season if this continues.

Article originally written by Elizabeth Della Piana