Tori Sheffer

Payton Pritchard’s Case for the Sixth Man of the Year Award

By Tori Sheffer

As we reach the midway point of the NBA season almost, rumors have begun buzzing about who could potentially take home what hardware when the 2024-2025 season finishes this summer, and Celtics’ sixth man, Payton Pritchard, has been solidifying all his case as to why he could, and should, walk away from this season with the Sixth Man of the Year award. This year, Pritchard has managed to put up 16.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists through 24 games. In terms of the voting itself, right now Pritchard has a slight edge on the competition with 39 points and 55% of first-place votes; however, Golden State Warriors Shooting Guard, Buddy Heild is not far off in second with 31 points and 27% of first-place votes. Rounding out the top five are Timberwolves’ Naz Reid, Hawks Guard Bogdan Bogdanović, and Rockets Forward, Tari Easton. 

“[Prichard] gets a lot less attention than the members of Boston’s star-studded starting five, but Payton Pritchard has become one of the Celtics’ most consistent plays on a night-to-night basis…He repeatedly has given Boston a significant lift in games where the Celtics have started out flat,” ESPN analyst Tim Bontemps went on to report on Boston’s sixth man. Yes, of course, the core dynasty shines brightly at the top of the Garden’s marquee; however, Pritchard’s performance this year, amongst many of the players coming off the bench has been equally as entertaining to watch, if not more. According to the definition of the award, the 6MOY is awarded to a player who must primarily come off the bench in more games than they start while also demonstrating high-level production and impactful play on the court throughout the season; typically, a player needs to average a substantial amount of points, rebounds or assists while coming off the bench which is exactly what Bontemps was mentioning in his report on the legitimacy of Pritchard’s case in receiving the coveted award; however, this isn’t the only point in Pritchard’s defense as to why he should receive the honor. 

While known for his defense, Pritchard’s offensive numbers this season have been extremely impressive, specifically his insanely high-scoring output. He is averaging wickedly good scoring numbers for a reserve, being the definitive offensive spark the team needs off the bench; however, one cannot be successful in scoring if they are not equally clutch in shooting, which time and time again Pritchard has proven to be. A known skilled 3-point shooter, Pritchard is always ready to come off the bench and go deep; his 12.1 3-point attempts per 36 minutes tie Jayson Tatum for highest on the team while Pritchard manages to connect a crazy 43.2% of the time.

Need to be sold further on why Pritchard should be NBA’s 6MOY? Let’s dive into his performance in last night’s 123-99 win over the Pistons. All in Tatum’s absence, Pritchard got his first double-double of the season last night and notched 27 points (10-20 FG, 7-15 3-pt) four rebounds, and 10 assists in just 31 minutes of play. At the beginning of last night’s performance, the C’s looked sluggish, like something was missing. It wasn’t until Mazzulla turned to the bench in last night’s contest that the wheels started to spin. Of his 27 points last night, Pritchard scored 11 of them during the second quarter when he helped bolster the Celtics’ lead to fifteen points over the Pistons at the half. With Boston’s secret weapon now getting more heat from opposing defenses, you’d think PP would be worried come game time or that his production would somehow falter, but it hasn’t, he’s just been utilizing the opportunity of the defense honing in on him to give his teammates another path to scoring and for their team to come out on top. Not to mention him making history in last night’s victory. During last night’s game, Pritchard made his 500th 3-pointer becoming only one of ten players in Celtics history to attain the accolade, joining the likes of Boston legends Larry Bird and Paul Pierce (in addition to the franchise history he set earlier this season becoming the first Celtics’ player to have at least 25 points, at least 10 assists, and hit at least five threes in a game after coming off the bench). 

While Pritchard fully encapsulates what it takes to be NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year, PP isn’t zeroing in on just his performance on the road to this award, he truly is out here hoping to do his part to lead the Celtics to another championship. “If I’m fortunate to win, it’s a testament to the hard work I put in and I think it just means that I have helped this team and I’m coming off the bench and doing my job at a high level,” Pritchard said after Thursdays win to the media. “If I don’t win, it’s not a break moment for me. I’m going to keep continuing with what I’m doing, but yeah, it would be an honor,” ended his sentiments. If he can win, this will be the fourth time in franchise history a Celtics player earns the honor, the team’s first since Malcolm Brogdon in 2023. The Celtics will be away this upcoming Sunday against the Wizards, tune in at 6:00 pm ET to watch Prichard solidify his case even further from beyond the bench.