I am here to tell you all. This is one of the best picks in the draft. I take it that many of you don't stay up to watch PAC12 basketball. It is not often that you can get a player at 26 that is as accomplished and has as many elite skills/traits that he has.
1. He is easily one of the best shooting PGs in this draft. His range is limitless.
2. His handle is tight. Super shifty and crafty with the ball in his hands and generates space to get shots off and make plays.
3. Ultimate competitor and clutch as hell.
They say size is a detriment but he is 6'2 not 5'10. I have watched alot of his games and he was very high on my board. You will love him. Just watch his highlights and you will quickly change your minds.
As a UW alum (and someone who travels to the west coast a lot) I DO stay up and watch a fair amount of pac-12 games.
I hated this guy.
But I love this pick.
I hated this guy because he was that guy on Oregon who simply made every freaking ridiculous play against my team and whatever other team I saw them play against. Does anybody else remember how irritating it was to watch Rick Barry? How he always made tough, gritty play after play that had no business happening? That's this guy.
Pritchard is a baller. Best point guard in the NCAA this last year.
No, he doesn't have elite size & athleticism and he's a senior and thus probably has limited 'upside'. Not the highest "ceiling". But he's got probably the highest "floor" of any player in this draft.
His skills are rock solid on just about everything you could want from a point guard. He's wicked basketball-smart and dominated the floor for Oregon this last year, carrying that team to a 24-7 record (no other player averaged even 13 points on that team) and he did it not just with shooting, but by dealing a ton of assists and just plain making smart play after smart play.
He'll be a fan favorite very quick and I will be shocked if he doesn't earn legit minutes very quick.
He was clearly picked to be a 'safe', ready-to-play pick. This pick and the signing of Teague are almost certainly because Danny wants to manage Kemba's minutes.
Wanamaker was a solid guy for us last year, good shooter and tough defender, but his turnovers were killer. Both Teague and Pritchard have much, much better handles and are better playmakers.
I don't believe Pritchard will ever be a "star" - he'll probably never sniff an All-Star invite. But he's the kind of player who will probably have a JJ Barea type career. Stays in the league for a decade, moving across a few teams, some good some bad, and at every stop ending up being far more important to the rotation than expected. He's actually a lot like JJ except he's much bigger and a lot, lot better shooter.
Great pick by Danny at #26.
Topic: Welcome to Boston, Payton Pritchard!!! (Read 69763 times)