Now in his fifth season with the Boston Celtics, guard Payton Pritchard is in the midst of a breakout year. After playing an important role off the bench in Boston’s championship run last season, Pritchard has taken on an even larger workload. The Oregon native is playing the best basketball of his NBA career in his new role. In addition to catching the attention of Celtics fans, Pritchard has put the whole league on notice. Through 25 games, Pritchard is averaging 16.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1 steal. Additionally, he is shooting 48.8% from the field and 43.2% from the three-point line. His impressive campaign so far has led to many, including his teammate Jaylen Brown, putting him in Sixth Man of the Year conversations.
The Sixth Man of the Year award is given annually to the best bench player in the league. According to Bovada, Pritchard (-450) is the favorite to win the award this season. In second place is Houston Rockets sophomore forward Amen Thompson (+700). If Pritchard wins the award, it will become the fourth time in franchise history a Celtics player earned the honor. Furthermore, he would be the team’s first winner since Malcolm Brogdon in 2023.
However, the 26-year-old acknowledged that, while he would be “fortunate” to win the award, it is not his main priority (YouTube link).
“It’s not something I really think about. If I’m fortunate to win, I guess [it’s] a testament to the hard work I put in. It just means that I’ve helped this team, coming off the bench and doing my job at a high level. It’s not something I’m like, if I don’t win or win, it’s not make or break it for me. I’m gonna continue what I’m doing. But yeah, it’d be an honor,” Pritchard said.
Boston Celtics Guard Payton Pritchard Gets Brutally Honest About Award Race
Payton Pritchard’s Role With the Boston Celtics
Pritchard has always been a shifty guard who can be a sparkplug off the bench for Boston. However, this season, he has developed into a much better overall player. Though not a lockdown defender, Pritchard has drastically improved in this area. At 6’1″, Pritchard does not have an ideal defensive frame. However, he is quick and pesky, making him a positive on the defensive side of the ball. Furthermore, Pritchard has improved a lot as a facilitator and playmaker. His role is mostly scoring-based. However, he can also find the open man and play selfless basketball.
Despite coming off the bench, Pritchard has often looked like the biggest offensive threat on the Celtics. He has limitless range and can even attack the paint at a high level. Pritchard is far from their best player. However, there is no denying that he provides a lot of value to this Celtics team looking to repeat as champions.
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The season is still pretty young. However, Pritchard currently has very little competition for the Sixth Man of the Year award this season. Golden State Warriors guard Buddy Hield, who many had as the favorite for the award earlier in the season, has come back down to earth. What makes Pritchard’s campaign interesting so far is that he is a candidate for multiple awards. The main discussion regarding Pritchard is his candidacy for the Sixth Man of the Year award. However, he is also a legitimate candidate for the Most Improved Player award. Currently, he has +6000 odds to win the award, 15th-best in the NBA. It will be much more difficult for him to take this award home, but a lot can happen from now until the end of the season.
Pritchard has developed into a fantastic player for the Celtics. Whether it is good enough for him to earn an award remains to be seen.
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