Payton Pritchard won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award on 22 April 2025 after receiving 82 of 100 first-place votes.
The Boston guard averaged career highs of 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists while playing 80 games for the defending champions.
Pritchard dominates the ballot
Pritchard finished with 454 voting points. Detroit’s Malik Beasley placed second with 279 and Cleveland’s Ty Jerome was third with 91.
He became the fourth Celtics player to win the award, joining Kevin McHale, Bill Walton and Malcolm Brogdon.
Boston guard sets a bench shooting record
Pritchard scored 1,079 points in games he did not start, the most by any reserve that season. His 246 three-pointers off the bench were an NBA single-season record.
He shot 47.2 percent from the floor and 40.7 percent from three. Boston went 36-12 when he scored at least 10 points as a substitute.
Pritchard finds his role around Boston’s stars
“This is definitely an honor,” Pritchard said. He explained that his growth came from reading how defences guarded Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, then attacking the gaps they left.
Brad Stevens praised Pritchard’s daily effort and commitment. Jrue Holiday pointed to his full-court pressure and defensive work as the traits that made him more than a scorer.
Pritchard’s award recognised a reserve who changed games with his shooting without abandoning the smaller details Boston demanded.
