There is no shortage of talent on the Boston Celtics. Jaylen Brown won Finals MVP last year. Jayson Tatum has made the All-NBA First Team for three years in a row. Kristaps Porzingis is an incredible two-way player who can shoot threes from 30 feet. Derrick White and Jrue Holiday make up the best defensive backcourt in the NBA. But then there’s Payton Pritchard.
Hidden amongst the stars is even more incredible basketball talent. Pritchard has emerged as one of the best bench players in the NBA this year and is a favorite to win the Sixth Man of the Year award.
And he runs one of the best actions in the NBA.
Payton Pritchard pick-n-rolls have been elite
Among all players who run at least one pick-n-roll per game, Pritchard averages the most points per possession. That means, by the numbers, he’s the most efficient pick-n-roll ball-handler in the league this year.
Payton Pritchard pick-n-rolls are one of the best plays in the NBA this season pic.twitter.com/e8SptuVHgS
— Jack Simone (@JackSimoneNBA) February 20, 2025
Pritchard averages 1.24 points per possession on his pick-n-rolls. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is second in the league (with at least one per game) at 1.12, and he’s one of the favorites to win MVP this year. Some other notable names behind Pritchard include Jalen Brunson (1.09 PPP), De’Aaron Fox (1.07 PPP), and Kyrie Irving (1.07 PPP).
Obviously, all of those guys run more pick-n-rolls than Pritchard does, so it’s hard to directly compare it, but the efficiency doesn’t lie. Pritchard has been an incredible pick-n-roll player this season, and it’s been one of the most efficient forms of offense for Boston this year.
Pritchard also ranks third in effective field goal percentage as the ball-handler in the pick-n-roll this year at 67.9%. Nikola Jokic is at 61.3%, Fox is at 57.8%, and Gilgeous-Alexander is at 57.0%.
Putting the ball in Pritchard’s hands gives the Celtics a different look. It allows Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to use their off-ball gravity to pull some of the best opposing defenders away from the action, freeing up Pritchard to play in space.
And Pritchard’s individual talents only accentuate this freedom.
Pritchard is an underrated passer. He does an incredible job of setting up his teammates in great spots, especially guys like Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet, who are heavily reliant on on-ball creation from others.
Plus, Pritchard’s elite three-point shooting puts extra pressure on teams who have to guard him in the pick-n-roll. Bigs can’t play in drop, but if they step up too far, Pritchard can blow past them or find the roll man around the rim.
Boston has an amazing tool to deploy with Pritchard’s pick-n-roll abilities.