Boston Celtics: 3 players who exceeded expectations in 2020-21 season

The Boston Celtics slog of a 2021 season came to a merciful end earlier this week when the Brooklyn Nets defeated the Celtics in a five game first round series. For a team that just made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, this result is certainly not what the team was looking for this season.

Despite that, not all was bad this season. We witnessed a group of young Celtics excel in their roles this season, and helped drag an underperforming Celtics team into the playoffs. In a season full of losses and failed expectations, let’s look on the bright side here, and check out three Celtics players that exceeded expectations this season

No. 3: Boston Celtics rookie point guard Payton Pritchard

When the Celtics drafted Payton Pritchard with 26th overall pick in last year’s NBA draft, many were wondering where Pritchard would fit in among an already crowded backcourt.

Guys like Carson Edwards and Tremont Waters were only drafted a couple years ago, not to mention established vets like Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, and Jeff Teague all would be getting a decent amount of minutes of a nightly basis.

But Pritchard stepped up and was instantly a part of the rotation for the entire season. He played in 66 games, and averaged a little over 19 minutes per game, and was typically one of the first guys off of former head coach Brad Stevens bench.

Pritchard’s potential was clear as day in just his third game of the season, as he came off the bench scoring 13 points on a perfect 5 of 5 shooting line, and nearly helped Boston pull out a victory against the Indiana Pacers.

Pritchard would drop 23 points less than a week later against the Toronto Raptors, before following that up with a game winning put-back against the Miami Heat, instantly making him a quick fan favorite in Boston.

Pritchard’s play was so good that he quickly took the minutes that were expected to go to Teague, which eventually led to him getting traded to the Orlando Magic at the trade deadline. Teague’s lack of production certainly helped, but Pritchard helped make the decision easier for the Celtics front office to move on from Teague.

Pritchard was easily the most reliable shot maker off the bench for a Boston bench that had virtually no scoring depth, and his contributions easily helped Boston pull out a couple victories this season. He shot 44 percent from the field, including 41 percent from behind the arc, and basically developed into what the Celtics were expecting to get out of Teague.

Pritchard’s expectations coming into this season certainly weren’t this high, as many were left wondering if he would be able to crack the rotation with the excess of guard depth on this team. Come playoff time, Pritchard would come off the bench and look like the best ball-handler Boston had, as his change of pace would catch the Brooklyn Nets off guard. On a season where not a lot of things went right for Boston, Pritchard’s development into a steady sixth man off the bench was a welcome sight for the C’s.