Boston Celtics point guard Payton Pritchard recently signed a lucrative 4-year, $30 million contract extension, set to begin from the 2024-25 season.
The 25-year-old player recently revealed that his offseason training regimen is as unconventional as it is effective.
Pritchard has taken an inventive approach to improve his skills by hiring his friends who play professional basketball overseas to serve as practice defenders.
“I pay some of my homeboys to come, the ones that play overseas, I’ll pay them for the week to come out and all they have to do is just guard me,” he said.
These training sessions involve intense one-on-one scenarios where Pritchard’s friends aim to stop him.
The guard continues, “So I’ll put them up in a low spot wherever I’m at and pay them for the week, and then for those hours… we play little games to five – they get a certain number of stops – they win. They ain’t winning much.
“I’m playing 300, 400, maybe 500 possessions live. So you’re talking about a bag, that’s what I feel like I can have a live defender.
“And these dudes are playing overseas, so they’re good players. They’re trying to go after it. It’s like a job – I’m paying them to come out. I’m going hard, I need them to go hard. That’s been really good for me.”
Despite limited playing time last season, where he averaged 5.6 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 13.4 minutes per game, Pritchard’s dedication to honing his skills is evident in his unique training approach.
