Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard has been named the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year, the league announced Tuesday. Pritchard averaged 16.8 points, 3.9 assists, and 2.1 three-pointers per game off the bench this season while shooting 43 percent from beyond the arc.
Pritchard received 82 of 100 first-place votes, easily outdistancing Sacramento's Malik Monk and Miami's Terry Rozier. The 28-year-old guard has been a spark plug for Boston's bench unit, often entering games in the first quarter and playing extended minutes alongside the starters.
Coach Joe Mazzulla credited Pritchard's work ethic and unselfishness as the driving forces behind his breakout campaign. Pritchard becomes the first Celtic to win the award since Bill Walton in 1986.
