Payton Pritchard is among the most underrated No. 3 scoring options in the league.
The 6-foot-1 Boston Celtics guard has done nothing but improve his game since entering the league in 2020, and with Jayson Tatum sidelined with an Achilles injury, he’s received a more significant offensive role with the 2024 NBA champions.
According to the X/Twitter account ‘Real App, ‘ Payton currently leads the NBA in an impressive stat.
“Payton Pritchard has the most games in the NBA this season with 25+ points & zero free throws attempted,” the notable statistics-based account stated.
Why is that stat so admirable? Well, it’s common for players to erupt for 25+ points while attempting multiple free throws. In some cases, it’s so extreme that fans will throw out terms like ‘foul baiter’ and ‘free throw merchant’ to help diminish a player’s performance.
When an individual doesn’t get any whistles in a 25-point outing, it means they had no choice but to fight through contact and score at a high clip. Pritchard has done just that this season, helping the Celtics navigate life without Tatum.
Pritchard is averaging 17.0 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game this year, shooting 45.9% from the field and 35.3% from downtown. The Celtics will need Pritchard to remain consistent if they want to return to the NBA Finals.
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