Three-point shooting seems to be Boston’s specialty this season, as they’ve already broken many records related to it. Not only are there the team with most attempts from beyond the arc, now they possess the player with most hit coming off the bench in a single campaign.
Of course, we are talking about Payton Pritchard, who etched his name in NBA history during this weekend’s win over the Nets. After hitting a 3-pointer with 5:59 left in Saturday’s contest, the guard recorded his 219th made 3 of the season, the most-ever for a player coming off the bench.
With that shot, he passed Wayne Ellington’s mark from the 2017-18 season, as Pritchard scored 22 points in the Celtics‘ latest win. “Just means I did my job off the bench at a high level,” Payton told the press in Brooklyn. “Hopefully I can continue to do that. … There’s no records, there’s no rewards I ever look at.”
The guard then explained his mentality. “It’s all about self-improvement,” he said. “Looking at every game, what can I do to keep growing and keep bettering myself and ultimately, that’s all that matters to me. Just trying to take another step. Hopefully I can keep that going.”
It makes sense that Pritchard is playing this well, considering his currently enjoying a career-best season. Even though his start of the campaign wasn’t ideal, he continues to be the favourite to win this Sixth Man of the Year award. The 27-year-old has been averaging 14.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 67 games, all coming off the bench.
The truth is, Boston has been dependent of Payton’s shooting efficiency all season long, as he’s become a key part of the team’s rotation. Even though he’s mostly known for his precise shooting from range, the point guard has also improved his defense and rebounding.
“Congrats to him,” said teammate Jayson Tatum. “Anytime you hold a record in the NBA, regardless of whatever it is, it’s special. So I’m happy for him. He works really, really hard. Everybody knows that. His ability to stretch the floor and kind of take over in stretches sometimes has really helped us. He helped us win a championship.”
