BOSTON – Heading into the season, the Boston Celtics’ biggest question mark was depth.
“For you guys, not for me,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said when posed with that idea.
He was never worried.
On Friday night, down three of their top nine rotation players and squaring off against an Orlando Magic squad that had beaten them four straight times dating back to last season, the Celtics needed everyone to step up. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were active. As were Derrick White and Jrue Holiday. But the Celtics needed more.
Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser gave them more.
“Since Day 1, I coached them both in Summer League, so I’ve always known they’re going to be great rotation players, and I had full confidence in them last year, and [I have] full confidence in them this year,” said head coach Joe Mazzulla.
Pritchard finished the night with 21 points, three rebounds, five assists, and one steal while shooting 7-of-10 from the floor and 6-of-7 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Hauser put up 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals while shooting 4-of-8 from the field and 3-of-6 from distance.
Hauser (31:30) earned the second-most minutes on the team behind Tatum, and Pritchard (28:17) wasn’t far behind in fifth. In spite of all the injury-led excuses that could have gotten in the way, Pritchard and Hauser helped Boston overcome one of the biggest thorns in their side.
“We just got to encourage it more,” Brown said of their performances. “Games like today, it was great to see Payton [and] Sam being able to [gain] confidence and be able to just continue to excel. We’re gonna need that going down the line further.”
Not only were the two bench guys able to play within the Celtics’ star-heavy offense, but they also found a rhythm playing off each other.
“I’ve been with Sam for a while now, and in practice, we work out together,” Pritchard said. “I think he makes me better.”
Bus One Boys memes aside, Pritchard and Hauser have developed a real chemistry on the court. Nobody on the team has assisted Pritchard more this season than Hauser had, and the same can be said about the Pritchard-to-Hauser connection, too.
“He makes me become a better shooter because I don’t know anybody that really shoots like him,” said Pritchard. “Like, catch-and-shoot, he’s unbelievable. So, I know what type of player he is, and I’m always looking for him.”
Over the course of Boston’s last 10 games, Pritchard is shooting 41.9% from deep on 4.3 attempts per game, while Hauser is shooting 49.1% on 5.5 three-point attempts per contest.
They’ve been lights out from distance, but that’s not where their impact ends. Pritchard and Hauser have always been top-notch three-point shooters, but now, they’re adding skills on the other side of the ball.
“I think the growth for them this year has been on the defensive end,” Mazzulla said. “They continue to get better in our system.”
In the middle of the first quarter, Paolo Banchero attacked them. On two possessions within the span of a minute, he went at Hauser and Pritchard. Neither game him an inch.
Hauser’s defensive improvements have been clear all season, and Pritchard has always been an effort-first player on that end. But to see them step up on both ends of the court in a game as big as Friday’s was telling.
“We got to continue to emphasize when we can to play through Sam, play through Payton when they’re playing well. You know what I mean?,” Brown said. “I think that’s going to be more important to the long term than playing through me right now, you know, or playing through JT. We got to instill confidence in these guys.”
Tatum will have his moments. Brown will, too. But as December nears its close and teams around the league solidify their identities, the star-studded, supposedly top-heavy Celtics are getting contributions up and down the roster.
And it’s laying a foundation that could pay dividends down the line.
“I’m loving what I’m seeing right now,” Brown said. “D-White’s confident. He’s playing unreal. Payton and Sam are confident. They’re playing well. We got guys coming in that haven’t played in a month and [are] contributing. It’s just [such] good energy right now.”
