Pritchard's Offseason Drills Forged Boston's Top Iso Scorer

The arena lights glinted off a blinged-out Roman numeral necklace as Allen Iverson tapped Payton Pritchard on the shoulder during Game 3 of the first-round playoffs in late April.

Boston held a 103-98 lead with under a minute remaining, and Iverson told the Celtics guard that he was the coldest white player he had ever seen.

Pritchard finished the night with five three-pointers, capping a season in which he posted the league's best effective field goal percentage on isolation plays at 58.6%.

Stat Defender data showed Pritchard averaging 1.30 points per isolation possession at the midpoint of the 2025-26 season, a pace that would have ranked first among all players in the last decade.

For the full season, he recorded 1.11 points per isolation possession, placing him third in the league behind Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

His efficiency far outpaced other stars, as Nikola Jokic managed 57.1% and Luka Doncic recorded 55.8% on similar attempts.

Pritchard is a 6-foot-1 guard who has spent years training in unglamorous high school gyms without air conditioning.

In June, he works out at a facility on Cape Cod where temperatures can reach 120 degrees, a heat level he once experienced in West Linn, Oregon.

He recruits Division II and III players and international athletes to defend him in one-on-one drills, paying their travel costs to ensure they play feisty defense.

The sessions involve 150 possessions where Pritchard rotates through specific court locations while defenders chase him.

If Pritchard shoots below 60% during a session, his defenders dine at Chipotle and send him the bill.

Celtics assistant general manager Dave Lewin compares Pritchard's approach to that of Kyrie Irving, noting both use one-on-one play as a primary skill development tool during the offseason and late nights at the facility. "They're obviously different," Lewin said. "But in their approach to playing one-on-one as a form of skill development, those are the two players I've seen do it the most." The habit began in high school when Pritchard trained with retired NBA journeyman Steve Blake three or four times a week. Blake dominated the teenager daily, a result that surprised everyone except Pritchard, who vowed to improve. "It just destroyed me," Pritchard said. "Every day." High school coach Eric Viuhkola described Pritchard as unassuming-looking, noting that he was not a physical marvel like LeBron James. Pritchard pushed his body to the limit, once bandaging his hands after using weighted balls until his skin rubbed raw. He also performed hip mobility exercises in class and plyometrics during lunch breaks to mimic the athletic jump Russell Westbrook made between his sophomore and junior years. Celtics assistant coach Sam Cassell noted Pritchard is 6-foot-1 soaking wet, a description that captures his physical profile and playing style. Pritchard's method allows him to analyze his game at an atomic level, treating the court as a laboratory where he files away thousands of live looks. He considers the repetitive, grueling nature of the work a small price to pay for the data he collects. "My approach is probably a little different," Pritchard conceded.