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Payton Pritchard emerged as the leading contender and ultimately secured the Sixth Man of the Year accolade. He received nearly twice the number of votes compared to Malik Beasly of Detroit, who finished in second place.
According to the official announcement, “Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard has been honored with the John Havlicek Trophy for the 2024-25 Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year, recognizing his significant impact in a reserve capacity.”
This marks the first time Pritchard has been awarded the Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year distinction. He is now the fourth player in Celtics history to achieve this feat, joining the ranks of Kevin McHale (1983-84 and 1984-85), Bill Walton (1985-86), and Malcolm Brogdon (2022-23).
During his fifth season, the 6-foot-1 Pritchard posted career-best averages of 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while playing 28.4 minutes per game across 80 appearances (with three games as a starter). He achieved a personal-best shooting percentage of 47.2% from the field, including hitting 40.7% from beyond the arc. His 1,079 points scored while coming off the bench were the highest in the entire NBA.
Pritchard ranked fifth among all NBA players for three-pointers made, achieving a career-high of 255, marking the second-most in a single season in Celtics history. He also set a new NBA record for most three-pointers made by a bench player in a season with 246, with the remaining nine three-pointers made during his starts.
His contributions were instrumental in helping the Celtics achieve a strong 61-21 record, which placed them third overall in the NBA and earned them the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
To qualify for the Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year award, a player must have participated in more games as a reserve than as a starter.
