It’s the middle of the summer, and this reporter is tap-dancing around essentially asking Payton Pritchard whether he wants to be a starter for the 2025-26 season. Training camp is still more than two months away and we’re trying not to put Pritchard in a tough spot, but he shares an incredibly diplomatic response to our rambling query.
“Obviously, I would play all 48 minutes if I could,” said Pritchard. “That’s just the competitor in me. I want to play all the time.”
Pritchard quickly adds that he’s ready for whatever role Joe Mazzulla throws at him and will do whatever the team asks of him. That, of course, is what makes Pritchard so valuable. Winning is his North Star, and the individual accolades collected along the way are just byproducts of hunting the larger team goal.
Last season, Pritchard’s mindset delivered the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award. Over the summer, the NBA basically created the Payton Pritchard Rule by eliminating end-of-quarter heaves from individual stat lines. (He was one of the few players willing to consistently take that shot.) The Celtics have an 18th banner in no small part because of Pritchard’s selflessness.
So what’s next for Pritchard? For Day 13 of our Ramp to Camp series, that’s the question we asked our panel to probe.
Mazzulla has an intriguing decision to make about how he utilizes his new-look roster. With the departure of Jrue Holiday, there is a starting guard spot available. Some will lobby that newcomer Anfernee Simons, acquired from Portland in the Holiday trade, ought to slot there.
We tend to think Pritchard deserves first crack because, 1) He’s a core member of what remains of that 2024 championship team, and 2) Every time the Celtics have thrown more on his plate, he’s devoured it while taking another step in his NBA evolution.
The 2025-26 season feels like a perfect opportunity to answer a query that has lingered for much of Pritchard’s NBA career: Can he thrive as a starter with the Celtics? There’s little reason to think he couldn’t, and we’re eager to see him get every opportunity to show he can do more this season.
We’re also not against the idea of “48 minutes of Pritchard” as a way to mask the talent drain on this year’s roster.
Regardless of role, our wish list for Pritchard this season is pretty simple:
- We want to see him compete defensively when matched up against other elite guards.
- We want to see him continue to be one of the best rebounding guards in the league for a team that lost considerable size and experience in the frontcourt.
- We want to see Pritchard continue to limit turnovers even as his usage rate potentially spikes this season.
Most of all, we just want Pritchard’s energy and desire to be infectious with this team. Pritchard plays hard, he plays smart, and good things happen when he’s on the floor. The Celtics need a whole bunch of that while Jayson Tatum is rehabbing.
We’ll see what happens from there. While I don’t think we’ll ever see another season like Isaiah Thomas’ 2016-17 campaign when he blossomed into an MVP-caliber player, we simply can’t rule out the possibility of Pritchard having an All-Star glow-up given the changes to Boston’s roster.
Last season, Pritchard averaged 19 points, 5.3 assists, and five rebounds over 10 games played without Tatum. He was at 16.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game in 19 contests without Jaylen Brown. If the Celtics outkick expectations early in the 2025-26 season, either Pritchard or Derrick White is making an All-Star team. The opportunity is there.
And every time there is opportunity, Pritchard pounces on it.
Here’s how our panel responded when asked about the one thing they want to see from Pritchard:
Darren Hartwell, Managing Editor
It’s time to unleash “Post-up P.”
Pritchard is exceptional at burrowing into the lane and finishing around taller defenders, and he should have even more opportunities to show off his low-post moves this season with an expanded role. We’re looking forward to Drew and Scal going nuts when the 6-foot-1 guard deftly maneuvers around opponents in the paint.
Michael Hurley, Web Producer
Keep. On. Shooting.
This year presents a fun opportunity for Pritchard, who’s already taken massive jumps in 3-point attempts per game over each of the past two seasons. He went from 3.2 in 2022-23 to 4.7 in 2023-24, and he upped it to 7.8 per game last season. Only two players (Malik Beasley and Jordan Poole) took more threes while averaging fewer than 30 minutes per game, so there’s room for Pritchard to let it rip even more.
The Celtics will be making up for the 10.1 threes Tatum attempted per game last year, and Pritchard should be the one who capitalizes the most.
Sean McGuire, Web Producer
Pritchard figures to be in line for a spot in the starting lineup, and with that he’ll need to elevate himself as a playmaker alongside Brown and White.
The 2024-25 Sixth Man of the Year took steps forward last season as he averaged a career-high 14.3 points and 3.5 assists in 28 minutes per game. But with Tatum and Holiday not aiding in facilitating this season, there will be room for Pritchard to make his mark.
Brad Stevens answered questions about Payton Pritchard’s work ethic as he heads into a season with a different roster and new expectations.
Josh Canu, Media Editor
Adjust to a starter’s role.
I fully expect Pritchard to slide in next to White in the Celtics’ backcourt. There is always an adjustment when moving from a high-volume bench role to a starter role where he will likely be the third option. His defense will need to be on point and he will have to find offensive efficiency with potentially a lower volume of shots.
Max Lederman, Content Producer
I want to see Pritchard prove he’s a championship-level starting point guard. We know he can win a title as a Sixth Man, but can he hold up playing starter minutes?
Adam Hart, EP, Content Strategy
Let’s run back Sixth Man of the Year.
