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The Boston Celtics are once again dominating the regular season, and it's always been a complete group effort from them. There's been one player who has turned heads this season, and it's Payton Pritchard, who is making a case for being the Sixth Man of the Year this season.
In the Celtics' last game against the Detroit Pistons, Pritchard came off the bench and finished with a game-high 27 points while dishing out ten assists. He's been big to the team's success, and on the Run it Back show, Chandler Parsons gave the guard his flowers.
“He's so valuable to this team,” Parsons said. “I've always loved Payton Pritchard, and then when Jrue Holiday came on the show and said he's the hardest player to guard in 1-on-1s, I was like, ‘Oh s—, this kid is for real.'
“He's averaging 17-3-3, he's a bonafide starter that's mastered his role off the bench. He takes nine threes a game, and he's shooting 44% from the three. Payton Pritchard's got the best true shooting percentage outside of Steph Curry…the dude's making history. I never thought he'd be this good; he just keeps getting better and better, and he's an absolute hooper.”
Pritchard has always been a solid player for the Celtics, but this year, it looks like he's become more aggressive, and it's leading to good results for him and the team.
Payton Pritchard is a 6MOY candidate for Celtics
After his game against the Pistons, Pritchard spoke about the Sixth Man of the Year buzz and how he feels about the attention.
“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 my team, coming off the bench and doing my job at a high level. It's not something, like, if I don't win or win, it's not make or break for me. I'm gonna continue with what I'm doing. But yeah, it'd be an honor,” Pritchard said via ClutchPoints Celtics beat reporter Daniel Donabedian.
With the Celtics already having two starting point guards with Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, Pritchard has still found a way to be successful, and head coach Joe Mazzulla has found a way to have them all on the court at the same time. That allows the Celtics to play small but still be able to defend and score at a high level.
If Pritchard continues to play like this, there's no question that he may run away with the award at the end of the season.
