Oregon Basketball's Payton Pritchard Reveals Motivation: Boston Celtics NBA Playoffs

Former Oregon Duck basketball star Payton Pritchard reveals how his frustrations led to motivation as the Boston Celtics take on the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals NBA Playoffs series.

May 13, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) celebrates his / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Former Oregon Duck basketball star Payton Pritchard and the No. 1 seed Boston Celtics face off vs. the No. 6 seed Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals NBA Playoffs series, beginning Tuesday.

Pritchard has cemented himself as the Celtics' best guard off the bench, playing a major role in as Boston won both their first and second round series in five games. The Oregon native has been the top minute-getter off the bench, averaging 22.8 minutes a night.

May 13, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) celebrates his / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

His play is highlighted by his aggressiveness while shooting a blistering 42.9 percent from three-point range on 3.5 attempts per game in the playoffs.

That is a stark contrast to last season, when Pritchard hardly played any minutes during the Celtics’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals. At Celtics practice on Sunday, the former Duck revealed how he motivated himself.

"As frustrating as it might be not to play... It’s motivating," Pritchard said on Sunday. "I remember being a kid growing up, and you watch an NBA game. You watch a player, and you’re like, ‘wow.’ And then my first instinct was like, ‘I want to go to the gym.’”

“So, last year when I was watching these games and I wasn’t playing, it hurt but also motivated me to come in the next day. I put in my work and prepared for the future, not knowing what the future was going to be, but I had big goals and dreams ahead, so that just motivated me to keep working.”

With Pritchard’s confident play, don’t be surprised to see his role increased as the Celtics continue their march to a championship.

“It’s a great honor,” Pritchard said. “This is where we wanna be every year, playing for a championship. So, we’re just looking forward to this test ahead.”

An NBA title would make Pritchard, along with Chris Boucher, the only active Ducks to win an NBA championship —a lofty goal but certainly not out of the reach of the talented, confident former Duck.

Eastern Conference Finals Schedule

• Game 1: Pacers vs. Celtics; Tuesday, May 21 -- 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• Game 2: Pacers vs. Celtics; Thursday, May 23 -- 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• Game 3: Celtics at Pacers; Saturday, May 25 -- 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
• Game 4: Celtics at Pacers; Monday, May 27 -- 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• Game 5:* Pacers vs. Celtics, Wednesday, May 29 -- 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• Game 6:* Celtics at Pacers; Friday, May 31 -- 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• Game 7:* Pacers vs. Celtics; Sunday, June 2 -- 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)

*If necessary