For the second time in three seasons, the John Havlicek Trophy is heading back to Boston. Payton Pritchard has officially been named the NBA’s 2025 Sixth Man of the Year, joining an exclusive group of Celtics to earn the honor: Malcolm Brogdon (2023), Kevin McHale (1984, 1985), and Bill Walton (1986).
The 27-year-old posted career-highs across the board this season, averaging 14.3 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.8 rebounds in 28.4 minutes per game while shooting a personal-best 47.2% from the field.
Pritchard came off the bench in 77 of his 80 games and led all NBA reserves in total points (1,079), three-pointers (246), and plus-minus (+426). He became just the fourth player in franchise history to score 1,000 points off the bench in a season, joining McHale (who did it three times), Ricky Davis, and Brogdon. His 255 total three-pointers ranked fifth league-wide—trailing only Anthony Edwards, Stephen Curry, Derrick White, and Malik Beasley—and are the second-most in a single season by a Celtic, behind only White’s 265.
“He just has the ability to impact the game in so many ways,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said of Pritchard. “He just continues to get better and better. His competitive nature and work ethic are unreal. That’s an awesome thing. It takes a special person to fulfill that role, and he takes pride in it and does it every day.”
The Oregon product set an NBA record for most three-pointers off the bench in a single season with 246, smashing Wayne Ellington’s previous record of 218, set in the 2017-18 season. Pritchard’s 246 three-pointers off the bench were more than the entire Nuggets’ bench combined (245). He became one of only six players in NBA history to make at least 200 three-pointers off the bench in a single season, joining Ellington, Terrence Ross, Eric Gordon, Jordan Clarkson, and Malik Beasley, who also hit the mark this season.
“I’m just so proud of Payton and the job that he’s done,” Al Horford said, pumping his fists with a big smile at practice on Tuesday. “Just his consistency with his work ethic and how hard he works, how he’s taking care of his body, how he took the challenge on this year in trying to take his game to another level, not only on the offensive end, but defensively. It’s remarkable to see.”
His biggest performance came in March when he poured in 43 points on 14-of-20 shooting—including 10-of-16 from deep—against the Trail Blazers. It was the most points scored by any reserve in a game this season and set a new Celtics record for points off the bench in regulation. Only Larry Bird has scored more off the bench in team history, with 47 in an overtime win against the Bucks in 1985. Pritchard joined Bird and Todd Day (41 points in 1995) as the only Celtics to drop 40+ off the pine. He also became the first Celtics reserve to hit 10 threes in a game—and just the ninth player in NBA history to do so off the bench.
Pritchard was the league’s most consistent scoring threat off the bench, topping 20 points in 23 games—no other reserve had more than 18. He also made five or more three-pointers in 22 games, setting a new Celtics single-season record. That mark broke Jayson Tatum’s previous high of 18 set in 2022-23 and tripled the franchise record for a bench player, which had been seven—set just last season by Sam Hauser. That consistency is what Pritchard was most proud of regarding his breakout year.
“My consistency. Game in and game out. Limiting overall bad games. I’m proud of that,” he said when asked what aspect of his growth he is the most proud of. “My efficiency shooting-wise, I think it’s been really good this year. It’s just every summer, just finding different ways to keep getting better and better and elevate my game, especially in playoffs. And then hopefully next year comes, and I elevate it again.”
While Pritchard’s Sixth Man of the Year highlight package will feature plenty of scoring, specifically from beyond the arc, he made significant strides in other areas. He finished third among bench players in assists (257) and grabbed the second-most rebounds among reserve guards (292). Defensively, he held opponents to 44.4% shooting—1.3% below their season averages and a major leap from the 48.9% he allowed last year.
“Everybody talks about the shooting, but I think he has really just grown as a player over the last few years to where he finds different ways to impact the game,” Mazzulla said earlier this season. “His ball pressure and his defense has impacted games this year and last year, in particular. He is just continuing to grow as a player.”
Pritchard’s steady presence off the bench is a major reason the Celtics were able to reach 61 wins (the most by a reigning champion since champion since the Golden State Warriors won 73 in the 2015-16 season) despite using 33 different starting lineups and getting just 24 games from their full starting five.
Once buried deep in the rotation and even requesting a trade for more playing time, Pritchard has transformed into a key contributor for a championship contender. Voters got it right naming him Sixth Man of the Year—an award that not only validates his breakout season but also highlights the significant impact he made as the league’s most impactful reserve.
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