Celtics’ Payton Pritchard not focused on winning Sixth Man of the Year as Derrick White praises his hot start
"It’s not make-or-break it for me."
Payton Pritchard has emerged a clear early frontrunner to win Sixth Man of the Year, but he’s not too concerned about his chances of winning the award.
The Celtics guard told reporters that he didn’t set out to win the award prior to the season.
“It’s not something I really think about,” Pritchard said. “If I’m fortunate enough to win, that’s, I guess, a testament to the hard work I put in and I think it just means that I helped this 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 it for me. I’m [going to] continue doing what I’m doing.”
Nearly two months into the season, Pritchard has arguably been the clear top bench player in the league. He’s scoring 16.5 points per game on 48.8 percent shooting from the field and 43.2 percent shooting from deep. He’s also added 3.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and a steal in 28.4 minutes per game as he’s the Celtics player to play in all 25 games amid their 20-5 start to the season.
Pritchard’s durability and scoring ability were key again in the Celtics’ most recent win Thursday. He put up 27 points and 10 assists in a win against the Pistons, becoming the first bench player in Celtics history to have that many points, assists, and five made 3-pointers in a game. The performance came while Jayson Tatum was on the bench to rest a knee injury.
Following Thursday’s game, Pritchard’s odds for Sixth Man of the Year improved to -475 at DraftKings Sportsbook. That’s an implied probability of over 80 percent as no other player has odds better than +1100 (DeAndre Hunter).
While Pritchard’s had some more opportunities to shine early this season with Kristaps Porzingis’s injury and Jrue Holiday getting some rest days, he’s also markedly improved as a scorer. He’s nearly doubled his scoring (9.6 points per game last season) while playing just six more minutes per game this season.
Of course, Pritchard’s 3-point prowess is a big reason for that. But he’s also improved his shooting inside the arc, too. Pritchard’s shooting 67.7 percent on 2-point field goals this season, up from 59.3 percent last year and 49.5 percent the year prior. Additionally, Pritchard’s shooting 74.1 percent at the rim, which is the fourth-best mark among the Celtics’ regular rotation players (Tatum, Al Horford, Sam Hauser).
So, as teams have contested him from deep, he’s taken advantage of the opportunities to get into the lane and either score or be a playmaker for others.
“I just feel like people are playing my 3-ball so heavy and obviously I shoot it from a deep range, so if they come and close out on me it allows me to get in the paint,” Pritchard said. “And then obviously, I just manipulate the bigs. If they play me, I dump it off. If they don’t, I finish it. I try to make the game very simple.”
Pritchard played a key role in the Celtics’ title last season, so it isn’t a surprise that he’s necessarily become a key contributor again this year. But just how good he’s become and his importance to the team was probably a bit unexpected considering that he was getting consistent “DNP – Coach’s decision” during the 2022-23 season.
Those DNPs led Pritchard to being pretty open about wanting a trade out of Boston. Now that he’s emerged as key player for the Celtics, his teammates have taken notice. Derrick White said it was a “lot of credit” to Pritchard’s work ethic that he’s become the player he is now after dealing with some tough times just less than two years ago.
But it doesn’t seem like White is too surprised with Pritchard’s continued development, either.
“You see flashes,” White said on Friday. “Last year, he was amazing for us. I feel like this year, he’s taken another step. That’s just a credit to him and just always wanting to get better. Now, it’s just consistently every night you know what to expect and you’re not shocked by that.
“I guess it’s just Payton being Payton.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com