Celtics Guard Favored to Become Second Boston Player in 39 Years to Win Prestigious Award

The NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award hardware was only named the John Havlicek Trophy following the 2022-23 season.

Still, for a prestigious honor that now shares the name with the late Boston Celtics legend and Basketball Hall of Famer, there haven’t been many players in Beantown to win the award in recent decades.

Hall of Fame power forward Bobby Jones earned the first Sixth Man of the Year Award during the 1982-83 campaign while with the Philadelphia 76ers, before a pair of Celtics Hall-of-Fame big men captured the crown over the next three seasons in Kevin McHale (1983-1985) and Bill Walton (1985-86). Despite making four NBA Finals appearances (and winning a title in 2008) over the next 36 seasons, Boston didn’t have any player earn the honor again until former Rookie of the Year guard Malcolm Brogdon took first place in the voting at the end of the 2022-23 campaign, which was his only one with the Celtics.

As the 2024-25 season enters the stretch run, however, another Boston guard seems destined to become the newest winner of the John Havlicek Trophy — Payton Pritchard.

Joe Mazzulla: Pritchard’s Improvement Allows Celtics to be ‘More Creative’

The 27-year-old was selected by Boston with the 26th overall pick during the 2020 NBA Draft and had a solid rookie year where he averaged 7.7 points and 19.2 minutes per game over 66 contests (four starts) with a .440/.411/.889 shooting line. Pritchard’s production and playing time dropped off during the 2021-22 campaign and even more so during Brogdon’s lone season in Beantown in 2022-23, before bouncing back big time during the organization’s first championship in 16 years.

Now, the Oregon product is having by far his best NBA season, averaging career bests in points (14.1), rebounds (3.8), assists (3.5), steals (0.9) and minutes (28.0), while posting a high mark in both field goal (.471) and three-point field goal percentage (.415). Pritchard leads the Celtics in games played with 55 (no starts), only missing one contest, and paces the team in three-point field goal percentage among players who’ve appeared in at least 15 tilts.

With a loaded roster including MVP contender Jayson Tatum, All-Star Jaylen Brown, defensive stud Derrick White and “Unicorn” big man Kristaps Porzingis, head coach Joe Mazzulla said on Saturday that Pritchard’s improvement this season hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“It allows you to do more. It allows you to be more flexible on your lineups. It allows you to be more creative in what you’re able to do,” he said, per Noa Dalzell of Celtics on CLNS.

Who is Pritchard’s Main Competition For the Hardware?

Boston’s buzzer-beating specialist has been among the top contenders for Sixth Man of the Year for much of the season, but his effort during the team’s most recent game (Thursday’s 124-104 win against Philadelphia) may have stretched out his advantage over the competition.

Pritchard finished the contest with a game-high 28 points on an efficient 10-for-18 shooting (8-for-15 on three-pointers), while adding four assists over 31 minutes. Pritchard’s eight connections from deep matched his season high and his scoring output was one point short of a season best.

The fifth-year pro has been hot since late January, posting 13.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3.3 three-pointers per game across his last eight contests to accompany a .413 mark from beyond the arc.

Although Pritchard is currently the heavy favorite for the John Havlicek Trophy, injuries and/or cold spells could still lead to somebody else swooping in.

Per Bovada, the rest of the top five contenders with the best odds include Cleveland Cavaliers recently acquired small forward De’Andre Hunter (+400), Detroit Pistons shooting guard Malik Beasley (+500), Minnesota Timberwolves center (and reigning Sixth Man of the Year) Naz Reid (+1100) and Houston Rockets second-year small forward Amen Thompson (+3000).