Payton Pritchard's nose for rebounds with the Boston Celtics isn't a bonus, it's key

One of several reasons the Boston Celtics have been exceeding expectations when it comes to securing rebounds despite having lost Luke Kornet, Al Horford, and Kristaps Porzingis this past offseason has been the found money that is the unlikely aptitude of Celtics guard Payton Pritchard at pulling down boards.

The University of Oregon alum recently took some time to talk about how grabbing rebounds has been a key ingredient to the Celtics' early success this season after Boston's recent 115-101 win vs. the Chicago Bulls. "I think it’s always been a priority to crash, and it just stops the other team from getting fast breaks, even though the Bulls, I feel like maybe in the second half half, they still got some fast breaks," he explained.

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"But getting those extra possessions stops them from running," added the West Linn native.

As to what goes into racking up boards, Pritchard said that "it’s just getting extra possessions, especially if you’re in a role that you don’t get the ball as much to create, getting the offensive rebound and getting yourself into the game, an extra possession, it’s crucial."

"I remember being in that role and I used to search for them all the time and find easy ways to score and get into the game, so it’s definitely needed."

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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Payton Pritchard's nose for rebounds with the Celtics isn't a bonus, it's key