
BOSTON — At the start of Celtics practice, Payton Pritchard and Mike Conley dribble up the court in tandem. They share a laugh, and then Conley motions Pritchard toward the basket so they can begin another session of work together.
On paper, Pritchard and Conley have plenty of similarities: both are undersized, 6’1 point guards. Both are crafty scorers who rely on their footwork over their athleticism. Both are consistent three-point shooters (Conley has shot 38.7% from beyond the arc in his career; Pritchard has shot 39.4%).
But they’re at completely different points in their careers, and both are leaning into it.
Pritchard, who is 28 years old, is smack in the middle of his athletic prime and fresh off his best-ever season, in which he averaged career-highs of 17 points and 5.2 assists per game.
Conley is a decade older than Pritchard; he’ll be turning 39 next month. And he’s in the twilight years of his illustrious basketball journey; last year, he came off the bench for the very first time, averaging 4.5 points per game in 18.4 minutes. Seasons and rotations are unpredictable, but the expectation is that he’ll play a more limited on-court role again in Boston this year.
Still, the two undersized point guards are working closely together at Celtics training camp. And they’ve hit it off off the court, too.
“I love him as a person,” Pritchard said. “Great human being.”
Pritchard is excited for the chance to work with someone who’s had so much sustained success throughout his career; Conley is impressed by Pritchard’s indefatigable work ethic and unwavering desire to learn.
“Payton’s a menace, man,” Conley said. “He’s an absolute crazy person when it comes to trying to improve his game. I’ve been impressed with just the awareness to ask questions. He’s constantly asking, like, ‘What is your thought process with this? How do you break this down? I’m not as good at this, but I want to be good at that.’”
The two have worked closely together over the past couple of weeks. They have different scoring styles, but also similar limitations; both guards are listed at 6’1 and have relied on their craftiness to carve out successful NBA careers.
Pritchard is hell-bent on extracting as much knowledge from the longtime Minnesota Timberwolves guard.
“Tremendous career and player,” Pritchard said of Conley. “And just so many things he does well: passing the ball, [he] gets in the paint. Now, he shoots more floaters than I would; I’m more of a pull-up jumper, we talk about that. But just the way he sees the game, he’s somebody [that] when I get on the bench or outside the game, just seeing what he sees and picking his brain.”
Luka Garza knows Conley and what he brings to the table from a mentorship standpoint particularly well. Garza and Conley were teammates on the Timberwolves for three seasons and now reunite in Boston after one year apart.
“He’s the best,” Garza said. “He’s able to connect with every guy on the team. He has just a rare skill, but also just is the same, man. Every day, he shows up with a consistent, positive energy.”
Conley knows that’s one of his biggest value-adds to the Celtics: “My best thing is being able to connect with the guys; being able to share my experiences and help guys in real time, be another coach on the floor, be another coach on the bench.”
Pritchard thinks he’ll benefit a lot playing alongside such an accomplished point guard; Conley was an All-Star in 2021 and averaged double-digit points for a whopping 18 consecutive seasons, establishing himself as a model of consistency with the Memphis Grizzlies (2007-2019), Utah Jazz (2019-2023), and Timberwolves (2023-2026).
“I can really benefit — he’s somebody I looked up to, and somebody I hope, at the end of my career, if I can have a similar type of career and have as much success as he has, then that’s a very successful career,” Pritchard said. “So, I listen to everything he says.”
Conley, meanwhile, has been very impressed with Pritchard’s desire to pick his brain.
“[He’s] really shown that humility, shown that he’s willing to grow and be a better player,” he said. “But I mean, he’s got everything in his game, all the tools, his ball handling, his ability to score at his size, the strength, his balance. He’s gonna have a big year.”















