Celtics Celtics’ Payton Pritchard called out Gilbert Arenas for ‘disappointing’ comments about him and Drew Peterson Arenas questioned why the Celtics were playing Pritchard and Drew Peterson in a game earlier in the week. Payton Pritchard Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
After the Celtics beat the Heat by 19 points earlier this week, former NBA star Gilbert Arenas made some critical remarks about a lineup that Boston put out during the game.
Arenas questioned why the Celtics would play both Payton Pritchard and Drew Peterson at the same time.
“That’s how I know the game sucks,” Arenas said. “There’s no way in [expletive] hell that you can have 11 and 13 in the same game.”
“There’s no way you can have these two guys play. Look at 13. Look how he walks. He walks like ‘Score, please, on me’ so I can sit ‘my daddy gave me tickets’. My dad just gave me tickets and they let me in. There’s no way.”
Advertisement:
On Instagram, Pritchard wrote: “Why can’t 11 and 13 be in the game?? Just curious.”
He later told The Athletic‘s Jay King that he was disappointed in Arenas’s comments.
“Well, first of all, I really liked Gilbert as a player and I respected his game,” Pritchard said. “I was a fan growing up. So when you see somebody that you’re a fan of growing up and then they make comments like that. It’s definitely disappointing talking about something people can’t change, the color of their skin.”
Pritchard has been playing the best basketball of his career this season. He’s among the favorites for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award. He’s averaging 16.5 points per game and shooting 42.8 percent from 3-point range.
I asked Payton Pritchard last night about Arenas’ comments: “Well, first of all, I really liked Gilbert as a player and I respected his game. I was a fan growing up. So when you see somebody that you’re a fan of growing up and then they make comments like that. It’s definitely… https://t.co/Q48OneEM4p — Jay King (@ByJayKing) December 5, 2024
Pritchard’s ability to knock down long-distance shots at the end of quarters has caused opposing coaches to circle his name on scouting reports. His peers around the league have also taken notice of his play this season, too.
Advertisement:
“If I could take one guy outside of the Celtics, like if you told me tomorrow … one of those guys will never play against you again, for the Celtics that’s Payton Pritchard,” former Bucks forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo said during a recent episode of his podcast the “Thanalysis Show.” “I didn’t say Jaylen Brown. I didn’t say Jayson Tatum. I didn’t say Kristaps Porzingis. I didn’t say Jrue Holiday. I did not say Al Horford. I said Payton Pritchard. So underrated.”
Peterson is a two-way player who is averaging 19.6 points per game with the Maine Celtics this season. His workload with increased this week because the Celtics have been shorthanded.
The reserve forward played a career-high 26 minutes against the Heat on Monday and 25 minutes against the Cavaliers on Sunday. He averaged 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds over those two games before his minutes (3) dropped on Wednesday.
“So, the work that Drew puts in, that I put in, I don’t know, you just don’t want to see that,” Pritchard said of Arenas’s comments. “When you’re a fan of somebody growing up, and for them to make comments like that, it can be disappointing.”
Khari A. Thompson Sports Reporter Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.