Payton Pritchard wants to be known for more than someone who can make long distance, buzzer-beating 3-pointers at key moments.

The Boston Celtics guard transformed into a star after making a pair of long-range buzzer-beaters during the NBA Finals last season. The most famous one, which catapulted him into Celtics’ lore, was a half court shot as the halftime buzzer sounded during the series-clinching Game 5 win against the Dallas Mavericks.

Pritchard rode a wave of the stardom throughout the summer, but he didn’t want to be typecast as just a 3-point specialist and knew he had to expand his game.

“It kind of bothers me if anybody ever classifies me as just a shooter, because I’m not,” Pritchard told cbssports.com. “I want to be a ball player. Somebody that can do it all, every aspect.”

The former Oregon Ducks and West Linn High School star worked hard during the offseason and is doing it all in his fifth season with the Celtics.

Pritchard is averaging 15.3 points per game while shooting 46.9% overall and 42.3% from the 3-point line during 28.1 minutes per game. Those numbers are all career-highs. He’s doing this coming off the bench, which is why he’s the current frontrunner for the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award.

Pritchard has increased his 3-point shooting accuracy despite nearly doubling his 3-point attempts from 4.7 per game in 2023-24 to 8.7 this year. He could join a very exclusive club if he continues his hot shooting. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Damian Lillard are the only players to attempt at least nine 3-pointers a game and make at least 40% for an entire season in NBA history.

Pritchard has shown he’s capable of scoring inside the arc as well. He has developed a solid mid-range jumper and he’s always been good at attacking the basket.

“I mean, it’s funny to say this, but he’s actually a really good three-level scorer,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters recently. “He can shoot threes, he can shoot pull-up twos and he can create just enough space to get layups off. So he’s a three-level scorer. But really, it’s all the stuff. His ball pressure changes the game for us, so he’s just a really good, well-rounded basketball player. Competitive, nasty.”

Former Boston Celtics player Brian Scalabrine said Pritchard would average at least 25 points and eight assists per game if he were a starter.

They don’t know how good Payton Pritchard is{/a}. They think he’s just alright,” Scalabrine said on Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce’s podcast. “When he gets a chance to start, that dude is going to get 27 and 8. You know how hard it is to get 27 and 8?”

The competitiveness also shows on defense. Even though he’s small at 6-foot-1, Pritchard uses his tenacity, effort and unrelenting approach to hold his own against bigger and stronger guards.

Pritchard is making an impact on offense and defense, giving the Celtics a boost of the bench. His play has made him the favorite to join just three other Celtics — Kevin McHale (twice), Bill Walton, and Malcolm Brogdon — to win the Sixth Man of the Year award.