The best player on the Celtics' bench used to play against some of the best players the game has ever seen when he was in high school.

You do not need to be a fan of the Boston Celtics to be dialed in to the meteoric rise of backup Boston combo guard Payton Pritchard.

ORLANDO — The impact of Payton Pritchard on this year’s Celtics team has been perhaps the biggest surprise. The fourth-year guard is a frontrunner for the Sixth Man of the Year award, and has become a fan favorite because of his ability to hit threes in bunches.

Boston Celtics reserve point guard Payton Pritchard has been enjoying a banner year in 2024-25. He's already a leading candidate for Sixth Man of the Year honor

The Boston Celtics won the 2023-2024 NBA championship by relying on the 3-point shot. The Celtics led the NBA in 3-point attempts and 3-points shots made while placing second in 3-point shooting percentage.

It really was not all that long ago that the Sixth Man of the Year candidate was trying to force his way onto another NBA roster.

The Massachusetts club is the most frequent at these attempts, leading the NBA with a historically prolific 51.3 attempts per contest. However, it’s not only about shooting, it is also about precision, as the Celtics 18.8 made threes per game are the most converted this year, at 36.7%.

"You want to get it naturally, in the flow of the game." The post Payton Pritchard explained why he doesn’t chase triple-doubles appeared first on Boston.com.