Former Duck Payton Pritchard wins NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award

Former Oregon Duck point guard Payton Pritchard just turned in a career-best season for the Boston Celtics and he's being recognized for it.

Pritchard was named the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year with a career-high 14.3 points per game and shooting nearly 41 percent from the three-point line. He averaged over three deep balls a game this year.

Boston finished with a 61-21 record which was good for the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Payton has been known for some buzzer-beaters and halfcourt shots, but this season, he showed he can be a valuable member of one of the best teams in the NBA.

This is Prichard's fifth season in the league, all with the Celtics . He's in the middle of a four-year, $30 million contract that will end at the end of next year. With this award on his mantle and another similar season, Pritchard should be able to ask for a pretty penny as a free agent after the 2025-26 season.

Pritchard joins an elite group of players to win Sixth Man of the Year, including Tyler Herro , Lou Williams , Jamal Crawford , J.R. Smith , James Harden , Manu Ginobili , and Tony Starks.

Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinion s.

This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Former Duck guard Payton Pritchard is the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year