There was considerable speculation that the Boston Celtics would take a draft-and-stash player with the 26th overall pick, but the Celtics went with Oregon’s Payton Pritchard instead, taking a high-floor point guard to back up Kemba Walker in the coming season.
A former Oregon Duck, the 6-foot-2 floor general is also an excellent volume 3-point shooter, showing something of a trend for Boston’s 202 draft picks after taking Vanderbilt flamethrower Aaron Nesmith with the 14th overall pick.
Pritchard connected on 41.5% of the 6.8 3s he attempted with the Ducks in his senior season with the team while scoring 20.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
Boston is targeting Payton Pritchard at 26, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 19, 2020
We may see veteran guard Brad Wanamaker on a new team after this pick, as it seems like the Celtics plan on keeping the younger guard to fill in for the primary backup role with the team next season.
However, with plenty of time left before free agency even begins, the makeup of the team could still be transformed on short notice.
Check back shortly for more details about Boston’s final two picks of the 2020 NBA draft.
