Re-drafting the 2020 NBA Draft — 28. Payton Pritchard, Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves grab another immediate contributor in Payton Pritchard, who was elevated to the point of playoff minutes in Boston last season. He’s a dynamic shooter and steadfast playmaker who fits perfectly into the backup point guard role for a lot of teams. With Ricky Rubio out of the picture, Pritchard has a pretty clear lane to playing time behind Ball and Russell.
Pritchard basically carried over his reputation from college as a spunky, confident shot-maker and facilitator who, despite his small stature, can make his presence felt on defense. The 6-foot-1 Pritchard will never be a great NBA athlete, but he forces the defense to pay him mind well behind the 3-point arc and he plays hard. Pritchard is pretty snappy off the dribble too, with step-backs and slick dribble moves at his disposal.
As a rookie, Pritchard averaged 7.7 points on 44.0 percent from the field and 41.1 percent from deep. He didn’t have much to do as a playmaker in Boston, but could see his duties expand more in Minnesota. He’s too good right now to fall any further than this.