One side effect of Jayson Tatum's injury absence this season for the Boston Celtics has been the way it has allowed Payton Pritchard to shine extra bright.
The diminutive guard is averaging career highs in points, rebounds and assists as he continues to put together the best statistical season of his NBA career.
That continued on Saturday against the Toronto Raptors, when Pritchard finished with:
- 33 points
- 8 rebounds
- 10 assists
- 4 3-pointers
Pritchard is listed at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds and is maybe that.
MORE: Nikola Jokic just broke an NBA record that might end up being unbreakable
This season, he's averaging 17.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.
Pritchard's 3-point shooting has declined in efficiency a bit, likely in part because of increased defensive focus on him.
But he's still doing everything he can to keep the Celtics in the Eastern Conference playoff picture until Tatum can hopefully return from his torn Achilles.
Pritchard is 27 years old, was Sixth Man of the Year last year and continues to get better.
He may not be your classic NBA scoring dynamo, but Pritchard clearly can put the ball in the bucket, set up his teammates and even grab a surprising amount of rebounds for a player his side.
Don't expect this productivity to stop anytime soon.
More NBA news:
- Steph's quote about Klay will bring a tear to Warriors fans
- Joe Mazzulla wants to get a pet wolf
- Steven Adams has the craziest eating habits in the NBA
- Anthony Edwards had an "I'm him" moment vs. Thunder
- We finally know how Michael Jordan really feels about Scottie Pippen
- Cooper Flagg's clutch stats are unprecedented