3. Payton Pritchard’s Progression Has Been Vital
Payton Pritchard’s game went up a level this year as he’s become the leading candidate to win the 6th Man of The Year Award. Whenever the offense needs a spark or needs someone to fill in for a rested player, Pritchard has become a crucial piece to the Celtics offense.
Pritchard is averaging a career-high in points (14.3), rebounds (3.8), assists (3.5), and minutes (28.4), as his improvement on both ends has helped the Celtics when they’ve needed it the most. One example is when the Celtics were down Tatum and Porzingis, Prichard put up a career-high 43 points, hitting 10 threes to lift the Celtics over the Portland Trail Blazers, 128-118.
His three-point shooting and ability to create his own shots have made him a perfect fit for the offense. You can tell his confidence in himself is through the roof, compared to the last few years when he wasn’t able to get any playing time.
Pritchard will continue to be relied on during the playoffs, as his scoring off the bench and ability to run the point will be needed for the Celtics to win it all.