The back-up point guard for the defending champions wins in a landslide over Malik Beasley of the Detroit Pistons.

Payton Pritchard of the Boston Celtics was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year on Tuesday (22 April).

Pritchard averaged 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists this season for the defending champions, appearing in 80 of 82 regular season basketball games.

The fifth-year, back-up point guard started just three games but still averaged more than 28 minutes per game for the Celtics, who are seeded second in the play-offs.

They are currently up 1-0 in their first-round series against the Orlando Magic with Game 2 set for Wednesday.

Pritchard won 82 of the 100 available first-place votes. The former Oregon standout comfortably beat out the Detroit Pistons’ Malik Beasley, who received 13 first-place votes, for the honour.

Pritchard made the most 3-pointers off the bench in NBA history (246), also leading the league with most bench points (1,079).

Sixth Man is the first of seven major individual awards to be issued.

Source: IOC