Celtics Payton Pritchard says NBA contacted him about 3-point contest, but this year wasn’t the right time Prtichard is shooting a career-best 42.2 percent from three, but he won’t be in this year’s 3-point shooting contest. Payton Pritchard shoots a 3-pointer against the Knicks AP Photo/Noah K. Murray
There will be no Celtics participating in the Saturday night events of the upcoming all-star weekend. The skills-challenge, dunk contest, and 3-point contest will be Celtic-free.
Payton Pritchard said the league contacted him about participating in the 3-point contest, but ultimately he didn’t feel like it was the right time to commit to the event.
“They had communicated to me a little bit,” Pritchard told reporters in a video posted by CLNS Media. “But I just didn’t think it was the time this year.”
Pritchard is shooting a career-best 42.2 percent from 3-point range this season, which is 18th in the league and a better mark than most of the other participants.
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Of the eight-player field, only Cleveland’s Darius Garland and Los Angeles’s Norman Powell are shooting a higher percentage than Pritchard.
Pritchard, who has played in 52 of the Celtics 53 games this season at a career-high 27.7 minutes per night, said he’s looking forward to some relaxation during the All-Star break.
“I love playing basketball. I love it. But, I do like a break occasionally,” Pritchard said. “Like, I’m going to be nice on the beach chilling, being with friends and family. So, I take it in. I’m a normal kid at the end of the day … I like to relax and do normal things, have good meals, maybe have a drink. I don’t know.”
The Celtics endured some streaky stretches from beyond the arc during December and January, but they’ve started off February shooting 42 percent from deep.
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“I think it’s just part of the year,” Pritchard said. “Sometimes shots aren’t going to fall, but as long as we keep playing the right way and making the right reads everything should work out. We’re talented enough to take care of things even when we’re playing bad, so with our talent and if we’re playing the right way, making the right reads then we should be really good.”
The Celtics have won eight of their last 11 games. They have contests with Miami and San Antonio on the schedule before the All-Star break. Heading into the break with positive momentum is key, Pritchard said.
“I think it’s very important. It could work both ways,” Pritchard said. “You could be bad and then you get to the All-Star break and you know it’s a refresh mindset, but I always liked to take the mindset – even in my offseason training – if I’m going to take a break I try to really push that week before the break, end it really good, and then go into the break relaxed, take it off, and then have the momentum already going in to after the break.”
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.