3 Biggest Winners (& 2 Losers) From Celtics' Preseason

Winner: Payton Pritchard

Preseason averages: 15.6 points, 1.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists

After signing a four-year, $30 million contract extension just hours before the Celtics' first preseason game, Pritchard went on to show that he is more than capable of serving as Boston's full-time backup point guard.

Known for his long-range shooting, Pritchard connected on 36.2 percent of his takes from beyond the arc, a number that was heavily affected by a 7-for-25 (28 percent) showing from deep over the last three games.

However, there was a silver lining, as the shooting struggles led Pritchard to dig deeper into his playmaking toolbox.

He had a game-high eight assists against the Hornets and averaged 4.8 during the preseason — more than double his regular-season career high (2.0). And that's not just because he was playing more minutes or anything, as his 7.5 assists per 36 also crushed his regular season career-high of 5.0.

And to top that off, his 21.7% usage rate was also higher than he's ever posted in a regular season

Since Pritchard is going to find himself frequently running the offense, he needs to be more than just a scorer, and it certainly looks like he's starting to take steps to becoming a more well-rounded player.