Pritchard and Celtics spell danger for Wizards

WASHINGTON - Backup guard Payton Pritchard has cemented himself as one of the most underrated players for National Basketball Association (NBA) champions the Boston Celtics.

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He will enter a matchup with hosts Washington Wizards on Dec 15 (Dec 16, Singapore time) with averages of 16.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists across 25 games this season.

He is shooting 48.8 per cent from the field and 43.2 per cent from three-point range.

To put those figures in context, Pritchard is Boston's fifth-leading scorer behind Jayson Tatum (28.2 points per game), Jaylen Brown (24.5), Kristaps Porzingis (20.3) and Derrick White (17.5).

"I just feel like people are playing my three-ball so heavy and obviously I shoot it from a deep range, so if they come and close out on me, it allows me to get in the paint," he said.

"And then, obviously, I just manipulate the bigs. If they play me, I dump it off. If they don't, I finish it. I try to make the game very simple."