Payton Pritchard joins exclusive club with 500th career 3-pointer originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Payton Pritchard isn’t just one of the top 3-point shooters in the NBA this season. He’s one of the best marksmen in Boston Celtics history.
Pritchard led the C’s with 27 points on 7-of-15 shooting from deep in Thursday’s 123-99 win over the Detroit Pistons. During the game, he made his 500th 3-pointer to become the 10th Celtics player ever to reach that milestone.
Pritchard also became the first player in C’s history to record at least 25 points, 10 assists, and five 3-pointers off the bench.
The names around Pritchard on the list above speak volumes about the Oregon product’s 3-point prowess. He’ll soon surpass Avery Bradley (520) for ninth on the 3-pointer leaderboard, and Bradley played in 413 games for the C’s. Thursday marked Pritchard’s 291st game.
Just above Pritchard and Bradley are Al Horford (639) and Larry Bird (649). Suffice it to say, the NBA Sixth Man of the Year frontrunner is in pretty solid company.
Pritchard is the odds-on favorite for Sixth Man of the Year with averages of 16.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists while shooting 48.7 percent (43 percent from 3) through 24 games. After Thursday’s victory, he shared his mindset on potentially winning the prestigious award.
“It’s not something I really think about,” he said. “If I’m fortunate to win, I guess it’s a testament to the hard work I put in. I think it just means that I help this team coming off the bench and doing my job at a high level.
“So it’s not something I’m like, if I don’t win or win it’s not make or break for me. I’m gonna continue what I’m doing. But yeah, it would be an honor.”
Pritchard will look to stay hot when the C’s visit the Washington Wizards this Sunday. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston.