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BOSTON — At the start of Celtics practice, Payton Pritchard and Mike Conley dribble up the court in tandem. They share a laugh, and then Conley motions Pritchard toward the basket so they can begin another session of work together.
On paper, Pritchard and Conley have plenty of similarities: both are undersized, 6’1 point guards. Both are crafty scorers who rely on their footwork over their athleticism. Both are consistent three-point shooters (Conley has shot 38.7% from beyond the arc in his career; Pritchard has shot 39.4%).
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But they’re at completely different points in their careers, and both are leaning into it.
Pritchard, who is 28 years old, is smack in the middle of his athletic prime and fresh off his best-ever season, in which he averaged career-highs of 17 points and 5.2 assists per game.
Conley is a decade older than Pritchard; he’ll be turning 39 next month. And he’s in the twilight years of his illustrious basketball journey; last year, he came off the bench for the very first time, averaging 4.5 points per game in 18.4 minutes. Seasons and rotations are unpredictable, but the expectation is that he’ll play a more limited on-court role again in Boston this year.
Still, the two undersized point guards are working closely together at Celtics training camp. And they’ve hit it off off the court, too.
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“I love him as a person,” Pritchard said. “Great human being.”
Pritchard is excited for the chance to work with someone who’s had so much sustained success throughout his career; Conley is impressed by Pritchard’s indefatigable work ethic and unwavering desire to learn.
“Payton’s 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.'”
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The two have worked closely together over the past couple of weeks. They have different scoring styles, but also similar limitations; both guards are listed at 6’1 and have relied…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/two-celtics-players-forming-close-153848258.html
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Publish date : 2026-09-30 15:38:00
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