Payton Pritchard shows that he's ready for his expanded role off Celtics bench

BOSTON -- The Celtics showed off their prized offseason additions in Sunday night's exhibition opener, with Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday both making their Boston debuts. But as it tends to play out in the preseason, it was a key bench contributor that led the Celtics to a preseason victory at TD Garden.

After signing a four-year extension with the team earlier in the day, Sunday night belonged to fourth-year guard Payton Pritchard. He was the sparkplug the Celtics needed off the bench, and quarterbacked Boston to victory late in the fourth quarter.

While the Celtics have a truckload of star power atop their roster, Pritchard has a chance to be the leader of a bench unit that will need to prove itself. Based on his performance Sunday night, it's a role Pritchard is ready to seize. 

Pritchard finished with a team-high 26 points, scoring 16 of those points in the second half to help the Celtics pull away late in a 116-104 win over the 76ers. He finished 9-for-14 overall, and hit six of his 11 shots from downtown.

Pritchard sank some high-pressure threes in the contest, providing the C's with a much-needed jolt with his makes. With the team in a malaise through much of the first 12 minutes of the game and down 29-16 in the quarter's final seconds, Pritchard pushed hard up the floor after receiving the inbounds pass. He threw up a prayer near midcourt, which fell through the nylon as the buzzer sounded. Pritchard even got a free throw out of the long distance make, thanks to an overzealous PJ Tucker. The four-point play by Pritchard made it a 29-20 after the first quarter.

Pritchard sank his first two shots of the second quarter -- both threes -- to pull the Celtics within one point three minutes into the frame. It helped spark a 13-point rally for Boston, as the C's took a one-point lead into the second half.

After sitting out all but the final two minutes of the third quarter, Pritchard caught fire in the fourth. He scored 16 points in the final frame, as Pritchard took over in crunch time and made the Boston brass look really good for handing out that four-year extension. 

With the Celtics trailing 101-97 with 5:14 to play, Joe Mazzulla went small with his lineup, calling upon Pritchard, Danalo Banton, Sam Hauser, Lamar Stevens, and Oshae Brissett to close things out. The amount of energy that group brought to the floor could have powered all of New England, with Pritchard leading the charge.

The point guard took his game inside the arc, making a nice layup and an and-1 floater on back-to-back possessions, putting Boston on top 102-101. He missed a three on Boston's next trip down the floor, but Brissett was there to bank in the miss. Stevens then followed another missed triple by Pritchard with an emphatic jam to put the Celtics ahead 106-103. Boston ripped off a 17-5 run late in the game, and Pritchard himself put the final nail in the coffin of the 76ers.

With the Celtics nursing a three-point lead with a minute left on the clock, Pritchard confidently set up shop behind the arc and knocked down a step-back three to push Boston's lead to 112-106. In addition to his 26 points on the evening, Pritchard also dished out four assists and pulled down a pair of rebounds in the win.

The Pritchard that Celtics fans saw Sunday night looked a lot like the Pritchard that closed out last regular season with two strong games, including his first career triple-double in the regular season finale. It could be a sign of big things to come out of the reserve guard this season.

Last season was a difficult one for Pritchard as he battled for playing time behind the likes of Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon. After appearing in 66 and 71 games over his first two seasons in the NBA, Pritchard played in just 48 games and averaged only 13.4 minutes in 2022-23. He was obviously less than pleased with his role and preferred to be dealt if he was going to be buried on the Boston bench.

But after dealing both Smart and Brogdon over the offseason, the door is open for Pritchard to have an expanded role on this year's team. He has a chance to play an important piece off the bench for a title contender, and based on how he played Sunday night, it looks like Prichard is eager and ready to run with that golden opportunity.