Reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year Payton Prichard has raised his scoring, rebounding, and assist numbers to start 2025-26. The 28 year-old is averaging a career-high in minutes, too, which is not a surprise after the Celtics parted with Jrue Holiday in the offseason, and Jayson Tatum being sidelined for (likely) the whole season.
While plenty of players start strong only to fade as the slog of the season wears on, Pritchard's breakout is likely sustainable. In fact, it might be more than sustainable. As in, he might only get better as the season continues.
Pritchard is a career 39.4% 3-point shooter who is at 34.4% this season. It's not uncommon for players' efficiency to drop a bit when they're given bigger roles and thus attract more attention from defenses, but I would be shocked if that number stays below 37 or 38 percent all year long. Those few percentage points will move him closer to a 20 PPG scorer, which is not out of the question.
Meanwhile, Pritchard is shooting over 61% on 2-point attempts, which might sound unsustainable — but it's not. Last year, he shot 64.2% from inside the arc, and 59.3 the year before. He's been about as good as a 6-foot-1 guard who's known for outside shooting can possibly be at non-rim two-point attempts, so there's really no reason to think that number will drop too much.
Payton Pritchard is an elite shooter from multiple locations
I went to the high school one town over from Payton Pritchard. Our basketball team played his just one time because he hit six 3-pointers in the first quarter and about 20 for the game (slight hyperbole, but that's how it felt). It was one of the most impressive shooting displays I have ever seen live.
Pritchard has been an outrageous long-range shooter for over a decade, and to see him produce at this level for the Celtics while his longball is mostly not falling is actually an encouraging sign. He's too good of a shooter to shoot like this all season, and he's showed that an elite clip inside the arc isn't a fluke, either.
I am not sure what the Celtics' longterm plan at point guard is. Anfernee Simons has struggled this season and likely won't last beyond this year, while Pritchard and Derrick White both have multiple years left on their contracts.
With PP3 getting better every year of his career, is there any reason to look elsewhere? Suggesting Pritchard as the team's permanent starting point guard becomes less crazy sounding all the time.