Celtics' Jaylen Brown gets real on Payton Pritchard's 6th Man of the Year case
11/26/2024 07:43 AM
BOSTON — The NBA Sixth Man of the Year trophy is named after Boston Celtics legend John Havlicek, so it’s only right that one of the early front-runners for the award is Celtics guard Payton Pritchard. And on Monday night, during a 126-94 drubbing of the Los Angeles Clippers, Pritchard showed why he deserves to take home one of the few pieces of NBA hardware.
The Celtics boast an incredible amount of talent, as they roster stars like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and just had 2018 All-Star Kristaps Porzingis return to the starting lineup. With all those stellar players, it’s easy for bench guys to get lost in the mix.
That hasn’t been the case for Pritchard. The Oregon native hit a game-high six triples versus the Clippers and finished with 20 points, four assists, two steals, and two rebounds. His terrific plus-minus rating of plus-30 was the best of any player and proves how much the Celtics benefit from subbing him in.
Payton Pritchard relocates and finds some space for the three-ball pic.twitter.com/DGWFwKCYJV
— Celtics Nation (@CelticsNationCP) November 26, 2024
Less than two hours before tipoff, Brown endorsed Pritchard’s campaign for Sixth Man of the Year and commented that the backup point guard should “easily” be considered for the honor.
Easily https://t.co/RptOJAVchu
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) November 25, 2024
Pritchard immediately proved him right, yet that didn’t come as a surprise for Brown.
“I mean, it’s early in the season, but Payton’s been balling,” Brown said of his teammate’s chances for Sixth Man of the Year. “He’s been a superstar in his role all season long. He’s always been a hardworking guy that shows up early, puts his work in, but now it’s like we’re really starting to see the growth. I think Payton could be significant on any other team. He accepts his role and he has been fantastic for us.”
Jaylen Brown on Payton Pritchard:
"It's early in the season, but Payton has been balling. He's been a superstar in his role… he's always been a hardworking guy that shows up early and puts his work in. But now, you are really starting to see the growth." pic.twitter.com/OxCxtOfE6L
— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) November 26, 2024
How has Payton Pritchard shined for the Celtics?
“All season long” isn’t an exaggeration. Pritchard has played in all 18 of Boston’s games and averaged a career-high 27.3 minutes per game. As a result of this increase in playing time, the former first-round pick is averaging a career-high 14.8 points per outing and shooting over 47% from the field.
In addition, he currently boasts the sixth-most makes from 3-point land in the league. The only players who’ve drained more triples are star players or occasional starters who’ve totaled at least 559 minutes. Pritchard has not started a game during the 2024-25 regular season and has yet to log over 500 minutes.
“Anytime I’m in the game, I’m looking to get him going,” Brown revealed in his postgame presser. “Anytime he’s on the court, you know, he’s a threat. So, Payton has been balling. It’s been pretty obvious.”
The fifth-year Celtic’s abilities have been so apparent that opposing teams are taking notice. He’s getting scouted more than ever and Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers even mentioned circling Pritchard’s name before playing the C’s in Boston. That note didn’t amount to much because Pritchard wound up with a season-high 28 points in the win and shot a dazzling 71.4% from the floor.
Watch Doc Rivers as Pritchard is dribbling up the court.
He knew what was about to happen pic.twitter.com/6k0AD7o8PJ
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) October 29, 2024
Despite the Sixth Man of the Year hype surrounding him, Pritchard is still putting winning above anything else, per CLNS Media.
“It’s really out of my control. If I get voted for that and I get that honor, that’d be incredible. But I’m not going to chase it and go try to get stats,” Pritchard emphasized after recording his fifth 20-point game off the bench this season. “It’s more about playing winning basketball. And if I’m fortunate enough to win it through that then that’d be an honor.”
This selfless mentality helps explain why the Celtics are 15-3 and on a six-game winning streak. It also demonstrates Pritchard’s maturity. The once-disgruntled bench member is now an NBA champion with a real shot at a prestigious trophy and, most importantly, another title.
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