Payton Pritchard’s 6th Sense: Celtics Guard Seizes Sixth Man Crown As NBA World Erupts In Praise

Few NBA players command attention, but even fewer rewrite the script. Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard is one of them, not just writing history but flipping the whole story with his presence and stamping his name in bold. He’s making sure that spectators, especially the NBA fans, will be talking about him for years to come, at least until someone else from his team, the Celtics, snatches the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award.Yes, you heard it right! On Tuesday, the NBA made it official: Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard has won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award for his outstanding performance during the 2024-25 season. Pritchard becomes the latest Celtics player to bring home the award, following in the footsteps of his former backcourt mate Malcolm Brogdon, who earned the honor in 2023.Payton Pritchard showed up, showed out, and changed the game on his terms, proving to his opponents what coming off the bench really means. While other players were starting games, Pritchard was out there closing them, making a statement every time he stepped into the arena. This wasn’t just a good year for him; this was him telling the league straight up that he’s built for the big stage and big performances.

Following in the Footsteps of Boston’s Bench Legends

Payton Pritchard not only won the Sixth Man of the Year trophy, but he also outperformed the other contenders by a wide margin. The voting numbers told the full story shortly after the league announced the news. Pritchard’s win got the spotlight on TNT, airing just before tip-off of Game 2 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies.A panel of 100 renowned NBA writers, analysts, journalists, and broadcasters cast their votes to choose the finalist, allocating 5 points for first place, 3 for second, and 1 for third. Payton Pritchard received 82 first-place votes, and the remaining 18 panelists still had him in their top three. He wasn’t just good off the bench — he dominated that role.Payton Pritchard, 27, topped the Sixth Man of the Year voting with 454 points, followed by Detroit’s Malik Beasley with 279 and Cleveland’s Ty Jerome with 91. Cleveland’s De’Andre Hunter and Minnesota’s Naz Reid also received notable recognition, earning 31 points each and finishing just behind the top three. No doubt, the margin was decisive, and Payton proved to be the ultimate game-changer.

With Payton Pritchard pulling in the Sixth Man of the Year trophy, the Boston Celtics have tied the Los Angeles Clippers for the most winners of that award in league history, with five. The Celtics’ bench legacy runs deep, starting with Kevin McHale’s back-to-back wins in 1984 and 1985, followed by Bill Walton in 1986. Fast forward to 2023, Malcolm Brogdon brought it back for the team, and now, it’s Pritchard’s turn to shine, locking in the Celtics’ bench legacy.

Dominance Off the Bench — Pritchard’s 2024-25 Season in Numbers

The 6-1 guard appeared in 80 games and started just three of them, yet his contribution was measured more than that of many starters around the league. He put up career-high averages of 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. Most notably, Pritchard became the only player this season to score more than 1,000 points in games where he didn’t start, totaling 1,079. That figure led all NBA reserves and highlighted his unique ability to make an immediate impact once he checked into the game. Alongside that milestone, he buried 246 three-pointers off the bench, setting a new NBA record for most threes made by a non-starter in a single season.His sharpshooting wasn’t just about volume; it was paired with efficiency. Pritchard shot 47.2% from the field, 40.7% from three-point territory, and 84.5% from the free-throw line. Clocking in at 28.4 minutes a game, he became the fifth-leading scorer for the defending champs and proved that he wasn’t just filling a role — he was impacting games. Night in, night out, he came off the bench and brought that fire — he’s a problem for defenses every night. These percentages were not only personal bests but also positioned him among the most efficient backcourt players in the league. The Celtics wrapped up the regular season with a strong 61-21 record, locking down the second seed in the Eastern Conference. And let’s keep it real — a big chunk of that success is owed to Payton Pritchard’s presence on the floor throughout his fifth NBA season, putting up straight career-high numbers across the board.

Celtics Make It Loud After Payton Pritchard Wins Sixth Man

The Payton Pritchard Effect ©️ pic.twitter.com/lXYYmvFeZb
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 22, 2025

Soon after the award was officially announced as returning to the Celtics’ camp, the franchise shared a heartfelt message congratulating the guard: “No doubt about it. Congrats, Payton.” The post featured a large, intense photo of Payton Pritchard shouting in the background, with a smaller, celebratory full-body image of him in his Celtics uniform placed in the foreground, highlighting his statistical achievements as the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year. Additionally, they shared a photo of Payton alongside a collage of recent headlines following the award announcement, with the caption “The Payton Pritchard Effect.”

Poured his heart & soul into the game he loves 👏 pic.twitter.com/vQdUVaXUst
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 23, 2025

“Somebody that just has a dying passion for something they love and they’ve poured everything into it, I feel like that’s the definition of hard work,” said Payton during a practice interview on Tuesday, before the award announcement, when asked about his work ethic and how it shaped him. The short video clip from the same interview was also shared by the Celtics on X after the award announcement, with the caption: “Poured his heart & soul into the game he loves.”On Tuesday night, speaking to the TNT broadcast after the results were announced for the Sixth Man of the Year Award, Pritchard said, “I mean, there are a lot of people in the Celtics’ organization, obviously (starting with) John Havlicek, who the award was named after.” “Kevin McHale, obviously, a couple other guys — Malcolm Brogdon, I was here with him and watched him win it. … Bill Walton, so it’s definitely an honor.”This marks the first of this season’s NBA awards to be announced, with others set to roll out in the coming weeks. The Clutch Player of the Year — featuring finalists Jalen Brunson (New York), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota), and Nikola Jokić (Denver) — will be revealed on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, the Defensive Player of the Year, with Dyson Daniels (Atlanta), Draymond Green (Golden State), and Evan Mobley (Cleveland) in contention, will be announced on Thursday night.