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Payton Pritchard in the midst of a career year for the Boston Celtics.
When it comes to the success of the Boston Celtics this season, Jaylen Brown has received most of the praise for his MVP-level play. However, as they begin ramping up for the postseason, another key player has landed some deserved recognition.
Understanding that Jayson Tatum was going to miss most, if not all, of this season, Boston needed the group to step up collectively and fill the void. Among those many believed was capable of taking on more was guard Payton Pritchard.
Pritchard has become a key rotation piece for the Celtics, securing Sixth Man of the Year honors last season. He continues to elevate his game, currently putting together the best campaign of his young career. Primarily coming off the bench for Boston, the 28-year-old is averaging 17.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 5.4 APG.
Following the All-Star break, the people at The Ringer put out the latest update of their top 100 NBA player rankings. Countless people saw their position shift, with Pritchard being one of the biggest risers. After being ranked No. 86 on January 29th, he now sits at No. 69. Some of the players just ahead of the Celtics guard include Naz Reid, Peyton Watson, and Jalen Suggs.
Currently posting career-highs across the board, Pritchard could be well on his way to a second-straight 6MOY trophy.
NBA Analyst Raves Over Celtics Guard Payton Pritchard
Entering the year, Pritchard already had an expanded role in the offense with Tatum being sidelined. He had even more put on his plate at the start of February when the front office decided to part with Anfernee Simons at the trade deadline. Similar to what he’s done all season, Pritchard continues to come up big for the shorthanded Celtics.
During the February 25th episode of his podcast, NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor gave Pritchard high praise for how he’s played for Boston in recent weeks.
“The creation and the playmaking is truly elite over the last 20 days or so,” O’Connor said of Pritchard. “All year he’s been very very good with more on his plate without Jayson Tatum out there. He’s amazing.”
Across 11 games in February, Pritchard is averaging 18.6 PPG and 5.7 APG on 49.7% shooting from the field and 44.0% shooting from beyond the arc.
Jaylen Brown Raves About Payton Pritchard’s Play This Season
Having had a front-row seat to his entire NBA career, Celtics star Jaylen Brown has seen how much time and effort Pritchard has put in to growing his game. As he continues to evolve for Boston, the star forward had nothing but praise for how he has looked this season.
“Payton has been playing at an All-Star level and I’m happy to see it,” Brown said. “Nobody happier to see it than me.”
Pritchard will look to keep this momentum rolling down the stretch as the Celtics look to hold on to the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference.
Kevin McCormick is a veteran sports writer covering the NBA for Heavy.com. After writing for Heavy briefly in 2022, he’s returned to the publication in 2026. McCormick brings with him over seven years of experience writing about the NBA in a newsroom and served as a credentialed reporter of the Philadelphia 76ers for 97.3 ESPN, ClutchPoints, and On SI. More about Kevin McCormick
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