Oregon Basketball: 2020 NBA Draft Profile for Payton Pritchard

After a stellar four-year career in Eugene, Oregon Basketball guard Payton Pritchard could find himself selected in the second round of the 2020 NBA draft.

The heart and soul of the Oregon Basketball program over the past four seasons, point guard Payton Pritchard leaves a mighty imprint on the University of Oregon, and the PAC-12, as he looks ahead to the 2020 NBA draft.

Pritchard started 140 games for the Ducks and played just under 34 minutes per night – which makes his 4,854 minutes played the most in PAC-12 history and fourth most of all-time. He averaged 13.5 points, 4.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per night while shooting 43.7% from the field, 37.9% from downtown, and an even 80% from the charity stripe.

Pritchard was a two-time All PAC-12 team member and is first in school history in assists and second in points behind Luke Jackson.

While his all-around career was stellar, he did most of his damage in an incredible 2019-2020 season, where he averaged 20.5 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 41.5% from downtown and 82.1% from the free throw line.

That, plus Oregon’s 24-7 record, was enough to make Pritchard a consensus All-American, the PAC-12 Player of the Year, and the winner of the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation’s top point guard.

Pritchard is now waiting to find out his NBA fate, and the mock drafts all suggest he will be selected at some point in the second round – although the consensus is hard to pin down.

A good three-point shooter and facilitator, Pritchard has the style and change-of-pace mentality necessary to be a quality backup point guard at the next level.

We’ll discuss his strengths and weaknesses, NBA comparisons, and a look at his draft stock and team fit, with just under a month to go until the 2020 NBA draft (finally) commences.