On Saturday, Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard set an NBA file that can make it tough to vote towards him for the Sixth Man of the 12 months award.
Pritchard notched 22 factors on 5 3-pointers in the C’s 115-113 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Along with his fourth make from deep, he surpassed Wayne Ellington for essentially the most 3s off the bench in a single NBA season (219).
With 14 regular-season video games nonetheless left to play, Pritchard has an opportunity to personal the single-season file by a big margin. It is a outstanding feat for the 27-year-old, however it was enterprise as regular for him after the historic efficiency.
“It simply means I did my job off the bench at a excessive degree, and hopefully I can proceed to try this,” Pritchard stated.
Pritchard is not targeted on his 3-point file or the NBA Sixth Man of the 12 months award, which he at present is favored to win. He merely desires to proceed his growth into one of many recreation’s finest.
“There is no information, there isn’t any awards that I ever take a look at,” he stated. “It is all about self-improvement, taking a look at each recreation, what I can do to continue to grow and hold bettering myself. Finally, that is all that issues to me is making an attempt to take one other step. So hopefully I can hold that going.”
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla is happy with how far Pritchard has come since being drafted out of Oregon in 2020.
“When you depend the the quantity of well timed photographs that he is hitting and the well timed offensive rebounds that he is gotten — he had one tonight popping out of the timeout after they went zone, within the nook, which simply has a capability to influence the sport in so some ways,” Mazzulla stated.
“Simply continues to get higher and higher. His aggressive nature and work ethic’s unreal. In order that’s an superior factor and it takes a particular particular person to meet that position, and he takes delight and does it every single day.”
Joe Mazzulla praises Payton Pritchard after the Celtics guard broke the NBA file for essentially the most three-pointers off the bench in a season.
Pritchard is now averaging 14.1 factors, 3.7 rebounds, and three.4 assists per recreation this season with a 41.8 capturing share from 3-point vary. He’ll look to repeat Saturday’s efficiency when the Celtics host the Nets for a rematch on Tuesday.
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