Pritchard was drafted 26th overall in the 2020 NBA draft by the Celtics and reached the NBA Finals with the team in 2022.
High school career
Pritchard won four consecutive state titles with West Linn High School and earned 2014 and 2015 Todd Pratt Player of the Year, Oregon Class 6A Player of the Year and 2015 Gatorade Oregon Player of the Year. He averaged 22 points and 5.8 assists per game as a junior (2014–15) and 23.6 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.1 steals as a senior (2015–16). A four-star recruit in the ESPN ranking,[2] Pritchard committed to the University of Oregon Ducks in August 2015.[3] He had previously committed to Oklahoma, where his father Terry played football.[4] Pritchard scored 45 points in the Northwest Shootout, an all-star game between players from Oregon and Washington.
College career
In his freshman year (2016–17), Pritchard made 39 appearances for the Ducks, averaging 7.4 points and 3.6 assists per game.[5] In a game against UCLA, he made a deep three-point shot to pull the Ducks within one point, assisting on Dillon Brooks game-winning three-pointer over Lonzo Ball. Oregon made its first Final Four appearance since the first NCAA Tournament ever, and Pritchard was the only freshman to start in that year's Final Four.
On November 25, 2017, Pritchard scored a career-high 29 points to go along with eight assists and six rebounds in an 84–79 win over DePaul.[6] He was the lone returning starter for the Ducks in his sophomore year (2017–18) and averaged a markedly higher 14.5 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game.[7]
As a junior, Pritchard got off to a disappointing start but improved his play late in the season leading Oregon to an improbable Pac 12 Tournament Championship and reaching the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 12.9 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game and was named MVP of the Pac-12 Tournament. After the season, Pritchard declared for the 2019 NBA draft but later decided to return to Oregon for his senior season.[8]
As a senior, Pritchard was one of the best players in collegiate basketball. On January 18, 2020, he scored 22 points and made a 30-foot shot with 3 seconds left to complete a 16-point comeback win over Washington in overtime 64–61.[9] On January 30, Pritchard scored 21 points in a 77–72 win against California and became Oregon's all-time assists leader.[10] He scored a career-high 38 points in a 73–72 overtime win against Arizona on February 22 in a must win game to keep Oregon's hopes for a Pac-12 regular season title alive.[11] Pritchard finished the job in Oregon's regular-season finale with 29 points against Stanford, securing Oregon's second Pac-12 regular season title during his career.[12]
As a senior, Pritchard averaged 20.5 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game,[13] and he was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year.[14] Pritchard was also a consensus All-American selection and was awarded the Bob Cousy Award as the nation's top point guard.[15]
Professional career
Boston Celtics (2020–present)
Pritchard was selected with the 26th pick in the first round of the 2020 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics.[16] On November 24, 2020, he signed a four-year, $10.5 million rookie contract with the Boston Celtics including team options in the third and fourth year.[17][18] Pritchard impressed in his professional debut scoring 17 points in a preseason game against the Philadelphia 76ers on December 15, 2020.[19] In the absence of Kemba Walker, he was fourth in playing time through the first five games, behind only Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart.[20] On January 4, 2021, Pritchard scored a career-high 23 points in a 126–114 win over the Toronto Raptors with eight assists and two rebounds.[21] In the next game, he made the game-winning layup in a 107-105 win over the Miami Heat. On January 12, 2021, Pritchard earned his first NBA start but had an underwhelming performance only scoring two points in 28 minutes in a loss to the Detroit Pistons.[22] This showing came in the beginning stages of what can be described as his "rookie wall" where he struggled to be as efficient and impactful as he was early in the season. Pritchard alluded to his struggles later on in the season,[23] but seemingly burst through this looming "rookie wall" in mid-April when he scored in double figures in six of seven games in a row including a then career best, 28 points in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 27, 2021.[24]
Pritchard played for the Celtics in the 2021 NBA Summer League and was named All-Summer League First Team after averaging 17 points and 8 assists.[25]
In the final game of the 2022–23 season, on April 9, 2023, Pritchard tallied his first career triple-double by putting up a new career-high 30 points, a career-high 14 rebounds, and a career-high 11 assists against the Atlanta Hawks. The game was played primarily by back-ups on each team.[27]
Following the Celtics' exit from the 2023 playoffs and due to limited minutes, Pritchard requested a trade from the team.[28] In October 2023, the Celtics and Pritchard agreed to a fully guaranteed four-year, $30 million contract extension before the season started.[29]
National team career
Pritchard represented the US at the 2015 FIBA 3x3 Under-18 World Championship where, in his best game, he had 9 three-pointers against Poland. He scored 12 points on 4 three-pointers in 14 minutes as a member of the USA National Select Team at the 2016 Nike Hoop Summit.[30]
Pritchard also made the US squad for the 2017 FIBA U19 World Cup in Egypt.[31] He averaged 9.0 points, 3.1 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per contest during the tournament, including 16 points against RJ Barrett and Canada.[32] Team USA won the bronze medal, and Pritchard was named to the All-Star Five.[33]
