Payton Pritchard is having a profession 12 months, averaging profession highs in minutes, factors, rebounds, assists, steals, and 3P%. What makes it much more spectacular, is that he’s doing it as Boston’s 6th man, and will very properly be main the Sixth Man of the 12 months award race. His factors have seen essentially the most vital bounce, rising from 9.6 PPG final season to fifteen.4 this season. One thing which may be neglected, although, is his rebounding numbers.
Final 12 months, Pritchard averaged 3.2 rebounds per recreation. This 12 months he’s averaging 3.8 RPG. That won’t appear very noteworthy, however that 0.6 RPG improve is coming nearly solely within the type of offensive rebounds. Final 12 months he averaged 0.9 ORPG, whereas this 12 months he averages 1.5 ORPG. Actually, while you watch him play it seems like that quantity doesn’t even precisely signify what number of additional possessions he brings in for the Celtics.
He has a knack for chasing boards, and is nearly at all times crashing the glass on offense. He’s at present third on the staff when it comes to offensive rebounds per recreation. The one two gamers above him? Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta, each 7-footers. Payton is barely 6’1”, the shortest participant on the roster by not less than 3 inches.
The spectacular numbers transcend simply the Celtics, too. There are solely three gamers underneath 6’6” who common extra offensive rebounds per recreation than Payton within the league. These three are Josh Hart, Josh Okogie, and Luguentz Dort, all of that are listed at 6’4”. Hart averages 1.7 ORPG whereas Dort averages 1.6, and Okogie averages 1.5. Dort and Hart each additionally see extra courtroom time than Pritchard, with Lu averaging 29.4 MPG and Hart a whopping 36.9 MPG to Payton’s 28.8 MPG. If we take away the peak restrictions, Payton remains to be quantity 56 out of all gamers league-wide who meet the minute/video games performed qualifiers.
Pritchard has stepped up each side of his recreation, and his hustle and power have been exhausting to overlook. Doing what he’s doing on the boards at his measurement is insanely spectacular, and offers Boston an enormous carry each time he enters the sport. It’s one thing that shouldn’t be neglected by voters when it comes right down to deciding who the Sixth Man of the 12 months is on the finish of the season, although I’m certain Payton and the staff are extra targeted on it translating into wins versus particular person awards.
