A late counterattack! He entered the NBA at the age of 22, won the championship at the age of 26, and became the Sixth Man of the Year at the age of 27!

For the Celtics, the new season will be very difficult due to the unexpected injury of star Jayson Tatum and the fact that they almost sent away most of their championship members during the offseason. However, just looking at the performance in the preseason, it seems that the fans can feel relieved. Because there are still many players in the team's current lineup who can shoulder the pressure, including our protagonist today - Payton Pritchard. This former latecomer who only entered the NBA at the age of 22 is likely to reach his peak moment this season. Let us take a look at how this guy, dubbed the "Duck King" by fans, completes his counterattack!

The Oregon legend was drafted late in the first round.

Like most NBA players, Pritchard was also Michael Jordan in his own story before entering the NBA. When he was studying at Xilin High School in Oregon, although he was only 1.85 meters tall, he made up for the size disadvantage with his own hard work and sweat. In high school, he led the school to an impressive record of 93 wins and 11 losses. In his senior season, he contributed 23.6 points, 6.8 assists and 3.1 steals, and was twice elected as the best player in Oregon.

And was once regarded as the next Damon Stoudemire. After graduating from high school, he did not hesitate to stay in Oregon and became a member of the University of Oregon. Here, he also wrote his own inspirational story. Just like in high school, he had just joined the team and could only play as a substitute. But even so, he could still contribute 7.4 points and 3.6 assists, successfully helping the school reach the final four of March Madness.

In his sophomore season, he began to break out in full force. After being promoted to the starting lineup, his data directly increased to 14.5 points, 4.8 assists, and his three-point shooting percentage was an astonishing 41.3%. After the season, he was also selected to the Pac-12 All-NBA Team. Although his data declined slightly in his junior season, he has become the absolute leader of the team, helping the University of Oregon enter the NCAA's March Madness for the third consecutive year.

Finally came the senior season. This year, Pritchard was in high spirits, averaging 20.5 points, 5.6 assists per game, and shooting 46.8% from three-point range. In the end, he won the Bob Cousy Award, became the Pac-12's best player, and was selected to the All-American First Team. But it is a pity that because he was already 22 years old when he participated in the NBA draft and had little potential to tap, he was not selected until the 28th pick in the first round of the 2020 draft. And because of his height, many scouts believed that he would be eliminated by the NBA at the speed of light.

was discovered through hard work and became a stable rotation of the team.

But as the saying goes, God rewards hard work. Although his physical fitness is relatively average and he is already an older rookie, Pritchard is not discouraged. Just like he did in high school and college, he firmly believes that his efforts will be seen, and he also steps up to practice his advantage, which is three-pointers. In his rookie season, he was entrusted with important tasks with a 41.1% three-point shooting rate, and gradually entered the team's rotation, averaging 7.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.

However, due to his failure to adapt to the intensity and rhythm of the game in the playoffs, he still did not fully gain the team's trust. His playing time began to decrease in the 21-22 season, but he could still contribute 6.2 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2 assists, and his three-point shooting rate remained at 41.2%. In the playoffs that year, Pritchard followed the Green Army to the finals. After witnessing the team's defeat, he vowed to win a championship for the Green Army in the future.

In the 22-23 season, because the team has Malcolm Brogdon, and at the point guard position, Marcus Smart is an unshakable starter, so it is still difficult for him to have a chance to play. The turning point came in the 23-24 season. In order to win the championship, the Celtics did not hesitate to give away Smart, the team spirit, and also gave away Brogdon in order to trade for Jrue Holiday. As a result, the team's point guard position was in short supply.

With a wave of coach Mazzula's hand, Pritchard became Holiday's first substitute. He has been waiting for this day for three full seasons. This time, at the age of 26, he did not let the opportunity slip away. He played 82 games throughout the year, averaging 9.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He scored a career-high 147 three-pointers in total. He also performed stably in the playoffs and finally successfully followed the team to win the coveted championship trophy. In the fourth grade, he finally reached the pinnacle of his life.

aspires to win the best sixth man award and becomes a key factor in the team.

In last season, Pritchard was continued to be reused by Mazzula, this time his role became the sixth man, and Pritchard did not live up to the coach's trust. He became a very good outside scoring point, averaging 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. While maintaining a three-point shooting rate of 40.7%, he hit a staggering 255 three-pointers in total, which is the highest among all substitutes.

As the defending champion, the Green Army also won 60+ games. His personal performance was very outstanding, and with the blessing of the team's record, at the age of 27, Pritchard won the Best Sixth Man trophy. And don't forget, his contract is very cost-effective, only 4 years and 30 million US dollars. With Tatum's injury, Pritchard is likely to be given more shooting rights. Perhaps this late bloomer will once again reach new heights in this new season and bring more surprises to Green Army fans.