Mike Conley Jr. didn’t need long to figure out what kind of worker Payton Pritchard is.
After the second day of training camp, the 20-year veteran made it clear he’s been paying close attention to the Celtics guard. Conley said Pritchard has stood out to him among Boston’s players, and he didn’t shy away from describing the way Pritchard attacks improvement.
“Payton is a menace, man," Conley said. "He’s an absolute crazy person when it comes to trying to improve his game.
"I’ve been impressed with just the awareness to ask questions. He's constantly asking like, 'What is your thought process with this?
How do you break this down? I'm not as good at this, but I want to be good at that.'
So just really showing that humility, showing that he's willing to grow and be a better player.
"He’s got everything in his game. All the tools, his ball handling, the ability to score at his size, the strength, his balance. He's going to have a big year."
Pritchard has already built a strong NBA résumé since the Celtics took him with the No. 26 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He went from competing for a stable role to winning Sixth Man of the Year in 2024-25, then posted career-best averages of 17.0 points and 5.2 assists while starting 50 of 79 games in 2025-26.
Now he’s in line for a chance to handle a full-time starting job in Boston.
And if there’s anyone who can help him navigate that next step, it’s Conley. The one-time All-Star and one-time All-Defensive selection has spent two decades steering NBA offenses with efficiency, while playing for three teams and lining up alongside plenty of star talent.
For Pritchard, that makes Conley a valuable voice to lean on. Based on Conley’s comments, he already is.
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