The Boston Celtics three-point shooting has been central to their offensive identity and success over the past several seasons. Joe Mazzulla’s offensive system focuses heavily on the deep ball. With 11 games left in the season, Boston is on pace to set the record for most three-pointers made in a season by nearly 100. Given this level of team dominance, some individual milestones are expected.
Currently, Derrick White, Jayson Tatum, and Payton Pritchard are all top five in three-pointers made in a single Celtics season. White is third with 234 made threes, while Tatum and Pritchard are tied for fourth with 231 threes. All three players are also within the top five for made threes in the NBA White is fourth while Tatum and Pritchard are tied for fifth. Isaiah Thomas currently holds the franchise record with 245 made threes in 2016-17. Tatum, White, and Pritchard will likely hold the top three spots for this franchise record once the season concludes. But who will ultimately get the franchise record?
Spicy.
11 games left. pic.twitter.com/WvsLkZddwC
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Celtics’ Teammates in a Unique Race for Franchise Record
What makes this race so intriguing is that any of these three players could break the record. They are nearly identical in terms of threes made per game, with Tatum averaging 3.6, followed by White at 3.5, and Pritchard at 3.3. Ultimately, it will likely come down to who plays the most during the last 11 games of the season. This bodes well for Pritchard’s chances as his 70 games are the most of the trio; White has played in 67, and Tatum has played in 65. The Celtics have an easy schedule and are secure in their seeding. As a result, the Celtics will look to rest their stars during this final stretch meaning Tatum and White are likely to sit out in more games than Pritchard. Moreover, Pritchard has the most to gain as he’s competing for the Sixth Man of the Year award.
Nevertheless, it’s unclear how many games Tatum and White will rest, Tatum hates sitting out games similarly, White rarely misses games. It’s speculative, but I would be surprised if either of them sits out for more than four or five games. Notably, Tatum has never missed more than eight games in a season; he can only miss four games to keep his streak. Tatum has an advantage as Boston’s lead shot-creator, his 10.2 three-point attempts per game are a team-high. This makes the race more open and unpredictable. Additionally, one hot shooting night could tilt the race. All three of these players have had at least seven games with three or more made threes Pritchard has five, White has four, and Tatum has three.
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Ultimately, none of these players care about this franchise record, as the team’s singular focus is on repeating as champions. Regardless, it’s an interesting race and a testament to the Celtics’ historic three-point shooting. Having three elite shooters boosts the Celtics’ title chances and makes them extremely difficult to match up against. The Celtics have always had an elite offense but it could be argued they are reaching another level this season. All three players will likely finish in the top three for this franchise record and reach 250-plus threes. It’s also possible, albeit not super likely, that two or even all three players will be tied for the record. As the end of the regular season approaches, this is an interesting and underrated story to monitor.
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