The Boston Celtics have three players currently on pace to shatter the team record for most 3-pointers in a single season. The only question is which one will own the top spot in the Celtics’ record book at season’s end?
With 13 games remaining in the regular season, the trio of Derrick White, Jayson Tatum, and Payton Pritchard are all on pace to eclipse Boston’s single-season record of 245 3-pointers set by Isaiah Thomas during his magical 2016-17 season.
White leads the pack at 228 made 3-pointers, while Tatum is close behind at 227. Pritchard is lingering at 223.
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The White/Tatum/Pritchard trio already slots in spots 5-7 on Boston’s all-time list and should soon comprise three of the top five spots overall.
Boston’s trio also sits in spots 4-6 among the NBA’s leaders in 3-pointers this season:
Who emerges as the Celtics’ single-season leader could hinge on games played, which could help Pritchard make up ground. If the Celtics prioritize rest for veterans like Tatum and White, particularly after all the basketball they’ve played over the past 18 months, it could open a pathway for Pritchard to make a late surge.
While Pritchard has prioritized team success over all individual accomplishments, he’s acknowledged that winning Sixth Man of the Year is an obvious goal of any player in a bench role. Landing the Celtics’ single-season record would be another bold line on his 2024-25 resume when voters make their end-of-the-year selections.
Tatum owned spots 2-4 on Boston’s single-season list entering the season, and if he doesn’t get the single-season record this year, it feels like there could still be plenty of chances moving forward in Boston’s 3-point heavy attack.
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White tops the team with 4.2 3-point makes per game since the All-Star break. He’s shooting 41.7 percent over a 13-game span, leaving a little midseason slump in the rearview mirror. If games played are equal among the three players, White is on pace to stiff-arm Tatum and Pritchard at the finish line.
The Celtics have loftier goals than a single-season record, but it’s no easy task to muscle your way into Boston’s record books. The three-horse race could add a tiny slice of intrigue to the Celtics’ final games of the season, particularly if the combatants playfully jockey for the honor.
Imagine a scenario where Tatum and White rest on the final day of the regular season but Pritchard has the opportunity to catch them. TD Garden hummed with intrigue on opening night when the Celtics nearly set the league record for 3-pointers in a single game versus the Knicks. Might the building have a little extra energy on 3-pointers if aware of the 3-horse race for the single-season record?
And if you want to monitor the fun straight into the postseason, here are the Celtics’ top six in 3-pointers made in one season when including postseason games (with total 3-point output and total games played):