Payton Pritchard

Eyeballing an already-unstoppable Boston Celtics rotation that happened to be 100 percent healthy for the season’s first time, the Chicago Bulls could’ve taken numerous reasonable guesses on whom November 29, 2024’s game-changer would be. At the fourth quarter’s open, they received their answer: a fire-breathing offensive presence along its second unit, often letting daggers fly from 30-ish feet away. Channeling fire, water, air, and every other element upon his arrival into the Windy City, Payton Pritchard — in what became a 19-point scoring avalanche over a near-five-minute stretch — left no scoring method overlooked in Boston’s come-from-behind win. Taking a slight break from the rhythmic, faraway catch-and-shoot triples that had subdued the Bulls on numerous occasions, Boston’s fifth-year sniper also unleashed elusive behind-the-back moves and nifty off-the-dribble buckets, chronicling a new bullet point in his 2024-25 Sixth Man of the Year case. Earning his head coach’s endorsement as one of the game’s great three-level scorers, Pritchard’s victory-ensuring percolation called for 29 points (on 10-of-16) by game’s end, alongside seven hustle-focused rebounds, one steal, seven 3-pointers, and a +11 plus-minus.