Pritchard is arguably the leading Sixth Man of the Year candidate right now, which is a huge surprise to most people outside of Boston’s locker room. Pritchard is averaging 16.5 points per game off the bench this season, leading many people to sing his praises.
One of those people is former Houston Rockets forward Chandler Parsons, who also played for the Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, and Atlanta Hawks during his career.
Per a new report from ClutchPoints’ Malik Brown, Parsons was extremely complimentary of Pritchard this past week.
“In the Celtics’ last game against the Detroit Pistons, Pritchard came off the bench and finished with a game-high 27 points while dishing out ten assists, Brown said. “He’s been big to the team’s success, and on the Run it Back show, Chandler Parsons gave the guard his flowers.”
“He’s so valuable to this team,” Parsons said, per Brown. “I’ve always loved Payton Pritchard, and then when Jrue Holiday came on the show and said he’s the hardest player to guard in 1-on-1s, I was like, ‘Oh s—, this kid is for real.’”
“He’s averaging 17-3-3, he’s a bonafide starter that’s mastered his role off the bench. He takes nine threes a game, and he’s shooting 44% from the three. Payton Pritchard’s got the best true shooting percentage outside of Steph Curry…the dude’s making history. I never thought he’d be this good; he just keeps getting better and better, and he’s an absolute hooper.”
Pritchard is in year one of a four-year, $30 million deal, a contract that seems like a bargain already.