Whipping Out His PP — How Ime Udoka Has Weaponized Payton Pritchard
First, about the title. I’m sorry, I really am. I promise to limit the dick jokes in this one (probably a physical impossibility considering my almost crippling immaturity). I can’t help that I’m a Certified Pritchead.
Well, the early going for Payton Pritchard was tough this season, a common scapegoat? Dennis Schroder. Schroder has had a negative effect on a lot of things. The Hawks offense, the Lakers defense, Demarcus Cousins’ bean bag, and German vaccination rates. Yet, he posed perhaps the biggest detriment to the professional basketball career of one “Fast PP” Payton Pritchard. Schroder isn’t the only reason Pritchard stumbled, but he was a big one. In this one, I’ll take a look his struggles. Then we take a deep dive on how he’s come out the other side a better player, thanks in many ways to Ime Udoka’s coaching.
The Schroder Problem
Allow me to demonstrate what a Dennis infection can do. Last season Pritchard averaged a very solid 7.7–2.4–1.8 on 44/41.1/88.9 shooting in 19.2 minutes a night. Good for an above average TS% of 58.2. Enter Dennis “The D.E.N.N.I.S. System” Schroder. Prior to Brad Stevens banishing Schroder to an extremely hot place down south, here were Pritchard’s numbers this season: 4.8–1.6–1.7 on 38.5/37.1/100 in 12.2 minutes. Hot garbage and a pretty significant step backwards for a player a lot of Cs fans were rightly excited about seeing in year 2.
One of the major problems with the Schroder acquisition was his fit on the team. In general terms, he couldn’t shoot on a team that lacked shooting, and he couldn’t switch on a team that exclusively switched. He also plays point guard and his love for rolling the ball upcourt greatly outweighed his love of passing. Not ideal. On a micro level, he’s completely unplayable next to Prichard. You can get around having one feisty undersized PG to cover for on defense, you can’t really do it with two. The result? They logged an experimental and disastrous 64 minutes together all season despite Schroder averaging nearly 30 a night and PP 12mpg, and it’s not like the Celtics had perfect player attendance in the first half of the season. Like the whole fucking team had COVID at one point. Udoka’s reluctance to roll the two of them out there wasn’t irrational. That two man combo had a -18.1 Net Rating and a “Team of 5 Wayne Spooneys playing the ’04 Pistons” level Offensive Rating of 100.
Anecdotally, I think the presence of Schroder had a legitimate effect on Pritchard. He probably worked this offseason under the assumption he was primed for a larger role this year, building on what was a very successful and promising rookie year. He did everything to deserve it. Then all of the sudden there’s a vet playing Pritchard’s role (and then some) that PP doesn’t fit even fit alongside. His struggles speak for themselves. And then Schroder got traded.
And PP TOTALLY REDEEMED HIMSELF. Here’s a side-by-side chart of his Schroder-era stats and post-Schroder.
Holy, fucking, hell. I mean look at that EFG%! He went from shooting roughly equivalent to Lance Stephenson to matching the efficiency of guys that exclusively dunk like Nick Claxton or Trez Harrell. He’s not just WAY up on efficiency, all his counting stats are better as well, and that Net Rating improvement is just laughably absurd. You might be thinking “of course his counting stats are higher, he’s playing more.” Well person I’m inventing in my head, that’s simply not true (and if it were I wouldn’t be bringing it up). Check out his per-36 numbers during the Schradness-era versus after.
Scoring more, rebounding more, assisting (barely) more, and basically never turning it over. He’s flat out playing better in just about every way. Which begs the question, why? If you’ve read my stuff, you know I’m a huge proponent of the axiom that players need consistent roles to succeed. Look at Smart at PG this year. Pritchard had the complete opposite at the start of the year. Schroder’s presence was a big reason why, but there’s another threshold issue that he didn’t meet that kept him off the floor. First, I’m going to take a look at the threshold problem, and then take a look at how PP has stiffened up and got right this season (I’m sorry).
The Threshold Problem
You do not get playing time on the Ime Udoka’s Celtics if you aren’t executing the defense. If you do not meet this threshold, you do not play. Period. Early in the season Payton Pritchard had a lot of trouble with Udoka’s defense. Really, the whole team did, but PP possesses physical qualities that are unique to the Celtics: he’s undersized for his position. There’s value in just being long (pause), and PP really is not (that’s what she said). He’s not Kemba Walker level undersized, but he’s certainly not a big point guard.
I admittedly don’t have any specific evidence proving why Udoka stopped playing Pritchard, but here’s what I do know. Pritchard had a really poor defensive game against Washington on October 30th (game 5 of the season). Prior to and including that game here were his minutes to start the season: 11, 16, 16, 14, 18. He’s always been a pesky on ball defender and smart off ball, but you could tell two things. First, the stupid mask he was wearing that made him look like the world’s lamest Mortal Kombat character was clearly fucking with his ability to see the floor from a literal standpoint, and two, he clearly wasn’t super comfortable with his responsibilities off ball in the new system.
Here’s three plays. You will see the same thing occur in the first two. Poor defense by Jabari Parker on both, which leads to a straight line drive where PP is supposed to be the immediate help out of the corner. He simply doesn’t get there quick enough and it leads to relatively uncontested layups. I’ll be clear, Parker is the primary person to blame, but Prichard HAS to stop that straight line drive. If you want to instill a defense first personality on a team, allowing guys uncontested layups isn’t going to part of the formula. It might be 70% Parker’s fault, but that doesn’t get PP off the hook either. You can almost see how unsure of his responsibilities he is in those clips. He does these sort of half helps that nobody even kinda falls for.
The third play is just to show how out of sorts and awkward he was with that fucking mask. I can’t recall Pritchard taking a goofy tumble like that any other time in two seasons. I’ve watched almost every minute he’s played in the NBA. He just wasn’t right to start the year. Shout-out Romeo though, drew the charge.
The result of his up and down first 5 games and the disaster in Washington? Here’s his minutes played in the next 5: 7, 10, 3, 11, 1. This stretch of 5 games became an unfortunate trend in the month of November. He basically didn’t play but for a few 10+ minutes appearances here and there until December when he filled in due to COVID and injury. He played pretty well, but once Dennis got out of the way, PP stepped into the void on both ends. Let’s take a look at what I mean.
Like I said above, the dude isn’t some slow footed Claderonian stiff on defense. He can seriously move his feet and stay with guys. Get absolutely shit pumped Clarkson. That game was over, so here he is doing it in an actual competitive basketball game. Jones has a nice grab and go move and PP still manages to mostly stay in front of him. He doesn’t bother the floater as much as he could because of his physical limitations, but it’s still a solid contest and Jones, a solid player in his own right, misses. He sniffs out a similar attempt shortly after by Jones after helping White check Adams. Heady, solid defending.
Look, Pritchard isn’t going to be first team all defense anytime soon, but he’s grown into his role on that end. He’s very confident switching between guys and ending up on a big in this play. He’s physical, his decisions are quick, and most importantly, he boxes the shit out of Brandon Clark on the block. Celtics ball. Schroder leaving was an important step in PP carving out a bigger role, but it’s his work on the defensive end that solidified it.
It’s not just that PP was awarded more playing time, it’s also when he was awarded that playing time. It’s clear that Udoka started to trust Pritchard, and not just in bench units, but during important parts of the game. Here’s a super confusing chart that shows his playing time per game, and when it occurred during those games. Here it is as an imgur with my labels that I hope help explain it (spoiler alert, they don’t). Each vertical line is a game, and the green or red indicate when he’s actually in the game (red means we are losing, green winning). I hope my comments allow you to get something out of it (again, I’m also aware they don’t). Once Schroder was banished from the team, never to return again, Pritchard not only got legitimate playing time; he got it in two important spots, when Tatum runs the bench in the 2nd quarter and during large swaths of the 4th quarter.
So we know he’s a solid but unspectacular defensive player. Why is Ime Udoka trusting him in crunch time of close games? Two reasons. First, he’s an absolute lights out, knockdown, certified GUNNER from three. On a team that lacks shooting from the guard position, that’s not just helpful, but damn near life saving. Udoka has given him the ultimate green light to fire away. Two, Udoka has placed him in lineups that take advantage of his shooting. As a result, he’s developed insanely good chemistry with two key Celtics, his benchmate Derrick White, and far more importantly, with Jayson Tatum. Let’s dive into both those things.
The Only Color is Green
I imagine that Ime Udoka sat Pritchard down at some point and said, just fucking shoot the ball. You catch on the wing? Shoot it. You catch it above the break? Shoot it. You catch it 35 feet from the rim against the best team in basketball without Jayson Tatum? SHOOT IT. I mean look at that shot against the Suns, that is Curry/Dame range. Payton Pritchard is our 8th man. That is a weapon off the bench most teams do not possess.
In the early going, I think partially due to the mask, Pritchard looked hesitant to fire away. He was shooting terrible, and you could tell that crept into his psyche. He is not an NBA player if he’s not an elite 3 point shooter, full stop. He has a solid handle, is a decent passer, can sometimes break down the defense and get to the rim, and at his best, can use the threat of his shot to get into mid range jumpers. All of those things turn into significant strengths if he’s making threes and defenses respect the threat of his shot. They add up to an all-star in the Euroleague if they don’t.
Part of PP’s struggles in the early going were caused by normal second year issues. That is to say that teams knew what he could do, and how to stop it. We all know Pritchard isn’t 6'10”. It’s much easier to contest his shot than it is Jayson Tatum’s. Teams could help off him and still get out and contest. So you know what he did? He started shooting shit from like 5 feet behind the line. Hell of a lot harder to contest a guy that’s 3–5 feet further away than you expect. Here’s a thread on Twitter I made of a few examples. He can get his shot off from deep in any situation, and good lord, does it open up things for the bench units (I’ll get to this later).
He’s super smart off ball. Watch these two plays. In both, he subtly floats into open real estate when his defender commits. Jaylen does a nice job of finding him in those spots, money. It’s invaluable having an off-ball shooter that knows how to make passing angles easier for the driver, while simultaneously losing his defender. He’s also pretty dangerous with the ball in his hands. You absolutely cannot go under screens when he’s the PnR ballhandler, and if you do the big better get up on him. He’s also really good at continuing to move and using his big to get his dribble back from little pitchbacks when a pick and roll stalls out. Like I said above, dude has the green light from anywhere, in any position, and he makes defenses pay.
You know what is just as important as being able to hit those types of shots? Having a coach that lets take them, even when they aren’t falling. I’ve been critical of Udoka in the past for not playing the young guys consistently, and hindering their ability to grow into their roles (play Nesmith you coward!). Well, once Schroder was out of the way, Udoka did just that. You might not remember, but the first 4 games after the deadline, PP went 2 for 9 from three. Not exactly what you want out of a guy that’s your dedicated floor spacer. That all seems like ancient history now, but there was definitely some concern that Udoka wouldn’t continue to trust Pritchard. He did, and holy shit did it pay off.
A Jay, a White, and a PP Walk Into a Bar
Payton Pritchard has played almost 100 more minutes with Jayson Tatum than Jaylen Brown. His 5th most common teammate? Derrick White, a guy that’s been on the team for 1/3 of the season. He has played with Derrick White more than Robert Williams, Josh Richardson, and Marcus Smart (100 more minutes with White than Smart!).
There’s a very simple answer to why those three play together all the time, they fucking crush people. Credit to Udoka, he found a very nice Tatum+bench mix, and not only is it effective, it’s damn fun to watch. It makes sense, White and Tatum can cover up for some of Pritchard’s limitations on the defensive end, and PP’s shooting opens things up a ton for both of those guys. All three are willing and above average passers. That all adds up to shit like this. Bang, bang, BANG!
Take a look at these two charts. The first shows who PP has assisted the most this season , the second who has assisted him. One name appears as the top of both of those lists, and both Tatum and White are WAY out in front as to who has assisted Pritchard. Again, White has been on the team for two months.
Let’s take up the White-Pritchard connection first since it is pretty one dimensional (PP Has only assisted him 8 times). White is a smart ball mover that clearly respects Pritchard’s shooting ability. They both feast off Tatum’s gravity, and White regularly passes up open looks to get Pritchard better ones. They are great foils for each other on both ends. Going from Schroder to White as a bench running mate for PP has been like… well going from Schroder to White as a player on your team. A massive upgrade.
Ok, White and PP are great together, but that shit pales in comparison to my favorite post-deadline development on this team. The bball bromance of Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard. PP has assisted Tatum more than he’s assisted anyone else, and has been assisted by Tatum more than anyone else. Derrick White consistently looks to get Pritchard shots, but Jayson Tatum has made it an art form.
The way Tatum has been manipulating Pritchard’s defender to create open looks for him has been beautiful, and he does it in just about every position imaginable. Take this play for instance. Tatum is galloping up court and sees Pritchard the entire way. PP actually points at Brown in hopes it will go swing-swing from Tatum-Brown and get him an open shot. Tatum does him one better, he fakes the pass to brown, which completely freezes Barton, then drives hard at Pritchard’s cover. The result? Effectively a free throw that counts for 3 points. That was always going down.
How about a post up where Pritchard is one pass away? Yeah, he can do that too. Takes a hard dribble, gets whatever bum Portland is playing to commit, bottom of the net. I’ll note, this is a fucking shooter’s shot from Pritchard. Hard contest, he’s like 4 feet behind the line, no problem. PP and Jay do it again (get it? Shout out @jakeissenberg, he’s a great twitter follow).
This one is pretty easy. Tatum drives past like 3 Nuggets (simple stuff), has Theis open for a drop back, White in the corner, and PP above the break. He wisely flips it to PP, easy money. When you’ve got a star like Tatum that creates so much attention, I mean he drags 4 (almost 5) Nuggets into the paint, you NEED players that can hit shots. Pritchard is going to be an NBA player for a long time off of Tatum assists.
This isn’t all one way either. It’s hilarious watching them both use the weapons at their disposal, the jumper for PP, the everything for Tatum, to create openings for one another. PP, Tatum, PP, Tatum, 3. I love this fucking team.
Credit to Udoka for recognizing how these two play off each other, and punishing teams with it. How about this slick as shit inbound play where Tatum uses PP as a decoy, catches a little flick back, comes off a double screen and walks into a wide open jumper. Perfect execution, amazing play design. I seriously love this fucking team.
All these are fun, and there are many similar clips, but nothing compares to the joy I get watching Pritchard and Tatum run the pick and roll together. Tatum and Pritchard are pretty natural PnR partners. Tatum usually has the best defensive player guarding him, and Pritchard the worst. Seems obvious against teams that switch to have Tatum screen for Pritchard and get Pritchard’s guy on Tatum. We do that, and it works pretty well. On this one, Tatum fakes the roll, pops, Pritchard hits him with a nice pass, put 3 on the board. Pretty standard, useful offense.
The true genius of Udoka, and how he’s turned our little PP into a huge prick for defenses, is when we run PnR with the opposite geometry. That is, when Pritchard sets the screen for Tatum. Ime Udoka has been using Payton Pritchard like a 6'1” white Channing Frye. Tatum gets trapped in pick and rolls more than almost any player. What’s an easy way to counter that? Have the guy (or one of the guys) setting the screen pop to the 3 point line. Oh, and also have him shoot 45% from 3 for 3 months. That helps too.
I mean, this is just so fun to watch. Rob Williams and Payton Pritchard!! setting a double drag screen for our 6'10” point guard. Tatum gets trapped, Rob rolls hard, and Pritchard is left wide open. I just really appreciate the absurdity of asking the smallest guy on the court to screen large wings several times a game. Don’t mind the Celtics, just having two very normal big men pick for our very traditional primary ball handler. 3 more for the Cs.
As the season has moved on, Udoka has gotten even more experimental with the offense. White and Pritchard are two perfect guys to do goofy shit with. In this play, they are both at the free throw line extended in a horns set. This set is commonly set up differently. Usually you’ve got the two bigs where White and PP are, with your shooters in each corner. Well, in this particular lineup, the worst shooter on the floor is Derrick White, so it makes sense he’s a screener. Al is a good enough shooter, so he’s spaced out to the corner with Jaylen Brown. PP and White come up for a double ball screen for Tatum. It’s set up that he can go either direction, but Golden State doesn’t really give him a chance to even choose as they blitz with Pritchard’s man. The result? PP floats into that empty space, quick fake pass to Brown to get some room, open three that’s money. A nice, unique twist on a tried and true offensive concept executed to perfection.
Brad Stevens started the most recent offseason with one goal in mind. Get players that complement his two stars. That can mean many different things, but one thing is clear, he wants to surround them with smart, capable defenders. Oh, and almost never missing from 3 is a nice added bonus. It took him a while, but Pritchard has become one of the best, and most fun, complements to the C’s best player. And it sure seems as though Tatum feels the same way. Can’t wait to see it play out in the playoffs. Celts in 4.
