Even the staunchest Payton Pritchard supporters (me) probably couldn’t have predicted his rapid ascension this season. PP went from a fun little bench player — averaging 5.6 and 9.6 points per game in the previous two seasons, respectively — to scoring 14.3 ppg and winning 6th Man of the Year in 2025.
With additional offensive responsibility and volume, players often struggle efficiency-wise –- but not Pritchard. Despite raising his field goal attempts from 7.7 to 10.8 per game from last year, his field goal percentage improved from 46.8% to 47.2%. And at the three-point line, Payton increased his attempts from 4.7 to 7.8 per game while somehow also improving his accuracy from an already good 38.5% to an elite 40.7%.
In short, he became one of the NBA’s most consistent shooters and stamped himself as an elite microwave scorer off the bench, something difficult to do on such a well-balanced and deep team.
Here are back-to-back plays — in a pivotal moment, nonetheless — of Pritchard moving without the ball and hitting tough threes off the catch. He has the ability to play around other great players because of his off-ball movement and shooting abliity, and he’s an excellent floor spacer who doesn’t need to be perfectly on-balanced to shoot. Oh, and he often spots up a few feet behind the line, which creates even more space for his teammates to drive.
Pritchard also has the ability to shoot it off the dribble, though. Here he is creating space against the Defensive Player of the Year with his patented step-back move; even at his size, he’s quick enough and has a compact enough shot release to get shots off over taller defenders. He can be a legitimate go-to scorer in end-of-shot-clock situations.
Pritchard doesn’t just shoot threes. His footwork in the paint is exquisite and he does such a good job using his body to throw defenders off and create an opening to shoot layups at the rim. This was a clear improvement in his game this year; whether it be because of increased confidence or opportunity, PP showed what he can do when he’s allowed to attack the hoop in isolation.
Scoring isn’t the only area where Pritchard improved this year, though. The 6-foot-1 guard (and that’s probably generous) went from an often-attacked defensive “liability” in previous seasons to a bulldog defensive player who changes the nature of the game as soon as he enters it with aggressive, hounding defense for 94 feet. At times, Pritchard even guarded the opposing team’s best player and held his own on that end, showcasing an incredible level of fight and intensity.
In isolation defense, Pritchard defended 55 possessions this season and held the offensive player to 0.80 points per possession on those plays. This would be the best defensive rating in the entire NBA if it held up for an entire game. Not only should he not be attacked, he should actually probably be avoided on that end. Absolute pest.
The offensive boards also became a key component of Pritchard’s success this season. Yes, 6-foot-1, 195-pound Payton Pritchard excelled as an offensive rebounder. He had 102 offensive rebounds this season, good for 9th among all guards (and significantly better than any other guard his size). PP’s effort, conditioning and speed are the backbone of his offensive rebounding prowess, but he’s also phenomenal at reading the ball off the rim and finding a way to get his hands on it.
Not only does Pritchard put himself in excellent rebounding position, but he’s tough enough to hold the defender off and even finish once he secures the board. If it happened only a couple times, it could be considered a fluke. But Pritchard has proven to be a consistent force and an absolute dog on the offensive boards.
Next year
Believe it or not, Pritchard actually has even more room to grow next season. Without Jayson Tatum in the lineup (and potentially others, pending this summer), PP will likely have an increased offensive role. And the stats from this season would suggest that he’s more than ready for it.
On 170 Payton Pritchard-led pick and roll ball handler possessions this season, the Celtics scored 1.11 points per possession. He was in the 94.6th percentile in pick and roll ball handling possessions. He understands how to make reads in those situations and is a pure point guard at his core. Sure, he can be great off the ball, but increased offensive opportunities next season could unlock the true potential of Pritchard.
