Category: Boston Celtics Blog

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Payton Pritchard wins 2024-25 NBA Sixth Man of Year award

Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard is the recipient of the John Havlicek Trophy as the 2024-25 NBA Sixth Man of the Year for his contributions in a reserve role.

Pritchard has been named the Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year for the first time. He is the fourth player to earn the honor with the Celtics, joining Kevin McHale (1983-84 and 1984-85), Bill Walton (1985-86) and Malcolm Brogdon (2022-23).

In his fifth season, the 6-1 Pritchard averaged career highs of 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists in 28.4 minutes in 80 games (three starts). He shot a career-high 47.2% from the field, including 40.7% from three-point range. His 1,079 points off the bench were the most in the NBA.

Pritchard ranked fifth among all NBA players in three-pointers made with a career-high 255, the second most in a season in Celtics franchise history. He set an NBA single-season record for three-pointers made off the bench with 246 (his other nine threes made came as a starter).

Pritchard helped the Celtics (61-21) finish with the third-best record in the NBA and secure the No. 2 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.

Celtics guard Jrue Holiday wins 2025 Red Auerbach Award

Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday has been named the recipient of the 2025 Red Auerbach Award.

The annual award, which was presented to Holiday at midcourt by Celtics Lead Owner and Governor Wyc Grousbeck and Co-Owner and Managing Partner Bob Epstein, prior to Boston’s game against the Charlotte Hornets, is traditionally given to the Celtics player or coach who best exemplifies the spirit of what it means to be a Celtic through exceptional performance on and off the court.

“Jrue has been key to the success of our team,” said Wyc Grousbeck. “His commitment to excellence, both in his play and leadership, sets a standard for everyone around him. He always does the right thing in the right way. He is a perfect embodiment of what it means to be a Boston Celtic—dedicated, selfless, and relentless in his pursuit of success.”

Celtics sign JD Davison

The Boston Celtics have signed guard JD Davison.

Davison, the 2024-25 G League MVP, appeared in 30 Regular Season games for the Maine Celtics posting averages of 25.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He ranked fourth in the league in scoring and seventh in the league in assists, the only player in the G League to rank in the top seven in both categories this season.

Selected with the 53rd overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Celtics, Davison has appeared in 35 games for Boston in his three-year career and has appeared in a career-high 15 games for the C’s this season. Davison was also selected as a member of Team G League for the 2025 Rising Stars Game at All-Star Weekend in San Francisco in February.

Celtics depth helps with win over Trail Blazers

Via the Boston Herald:

The depth of the Celtics’ roster was on full display Sunday in Portland.

Even with Jaylen Brown nursing a bone bruise in his knee and fellow starters Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday both sitting out on the first night of a back-to-back, Boston convincingly defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, rolling to a 129-116 win at the Moda Center.

All nine Celtics who played in the game scored at least four points, and six hit double figures, with Jayson Tatum leading the way with 30 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, one steal and one block.

Sam Hauser added 24 points while shooting 8-for-10 from 3-point range. Derrick White went 4-for-10 from three and tallied 17 points, eight assists, three rebounds, two steals and one block.

Celtics sign Miles Norris to two-way contract

The Boston Celtics recently signed forward Miles Norris to a two-way contract.

Norris, a 6’7” forward, was signed from the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G League, where he has appeared in 36 games between the regular season and the Tip-Off Tournament averaging 17.1 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 38.6 percent from beyond the arc (119-for-308). A former teammate of current Celtic Payton Pritchard at the University of Oregon, Norris finished his collegiate career at UC-Santa Barbara where he was named to the All-Big West Second Team as a senior following the 2022-23 season when he averaged 14.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals and shot 39.1 percent from three.

Norris will wear #44 for the Celtics.

Celtics sign Torrey Craig

The Boston Celtics have signed forward Torrey Craig.

Following the 2025 NBA trade deadline, the Celtics roster stands at 17 players.

The NBA veteran has appeared in 441 career games (168 starts) spanning eight seasons with stints in Denver, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Indiana, and Chicago. Craig owns career averages of 6.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 19.8 minutes per game while shooting 45.4 percent from the field. This season, Craig averaged 6.9 points and 2.8 rebounds in nine games for the Chicago Bulls.

During the 2022-23 season, Craig averaged career-highs across the board with 7.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.8 blocks in 24.7 minutes per game in 79 outings (60 starts) with the Suns. Craig has posted 14 double-doubles during his professional tenure and scored 20-plus points six times.

Craig spent four seasons in the Australian NBL before making his NBA debut with Denver during the 2017-18 season. In 2017, he was named the Australian NBL Defensive Player of the Year, earned Australian NBL Most Improved Player honors, and was selected to the All-NBL Second Team. The South Carolina native played four collegiate seasons at the University of South Carolina Upstate and averaged 16.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.1 steals in 31.0 minutes per game over 131 appearances (124 starts).

Celtics trade Jaden Springer to Rockets

The Houston Rockets yesterday acquired guard Jaden Springer in a trade with the Boston Celtics along with a 2030 second round pick and a protected second round pick in 2027 for a protected second round pick in 2031.

Springer (6-4, 216) was originally the 28th overall pick by Philadelphia in the 2021 NBA Draft following his freshman season at Tennessee. The 22-year-old spent his first two and a half seasons with the Sixers prior to being acquired by the Celtics last February and was a member of their championship team.

In 93 career games with four starts, Springer is averaging 12.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.7 steals per 36 minutes played. He was named the 2022-23 NBA G League Finals MVP after helping the Delaware Blue Coats win their first title.

Jayson Tatum says his knee is improving

Per Boston.com:

After missing two games earlier this month, Jayson Tatum says his body is healing up.

The Celtics’ star missed a pair of contests against the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 4 and 12 due to right patella tendinopathy. Those are the only games Tatum’s missed all season.

Speaking with reporters on Saturday ahead of Boston’s tilt versus the Chicago Bulls, he chalked the ailment up to playing frequently at the beginning of December.

“That was just a tough stretch. I think we played, like, six games in nine days, or something like that,” Tatum said when asked about his knee. “But it’s definitely getting better.”

Jayson Tatum named East Player of Month for October and November 2024

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has been named the NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month for October/November, the NBA announced.

Tatum earns the first NBA Player of the Month award for the third consecutive season. He also collects his fifth career monthly honor for the second-most Player of the Month awards in Celtics history, next to Larry Bird (7).

In October/November, Tatum was the only player in the Eastern Conference to average at least 28.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. Tatum scored the third-most points in the East with 546 points and ranked first in clutch points (46), tied for first in clutch assists (12), third in total three-pointers made (76), and second in plus/minus per game (10.5). He helped lead the Celtics to a 16-3 overall record for the second-best winning percentage in the NBA and tied the second-longest win streak with seven consecutive wins (11/13-11/29).

The five-time All-Star is averaging at least 25.0 points per game in his fifth-straight season and has tied his career single-season high 55.2 effective field goal percentage. Tatum is on pace to become only the second player in NBA history to lead their team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and three-point field goals in multiple seasons, joining fellow Celtic Larry Bird.

Celtics sign Sam Hauser to contract extension

The Boston Celtics recently signed forward Sam Hauser to a contract extension.

“You can count on Sam. He comes to work every single day with the right mindset and attitude,” said Brad Stevens, President of Basketball Operations. “His shooting gets most of the attention – but his feel for the game, defensive versatility, and his consistency as a teammate have allowed him to impact our team in the biggest of moments. We are excited Sam has decided to extend his contract with the Celtics.”

Hauser has appeared in 185 career games (21 starts) with the Celtics over the last three years, averaging 7.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 17.2 minutes per game since originally signing to a two-way contract in August 2021. Hauser owns the best three-point shooting percentage in Celtics history at 42.2 percent (min. 150 3FG) while his 356 career makes ranks 15th in Celtics history. The Wisconsin native is one of only five Celtics in franchise history to register at least 400 rebounds, 270 three-pointers, and 115 assists off the bench.