As the Boston Celtics navigate drastic roster changes, Payton Pritchard should be prepared to potentially step into the starting lineup. It's a shift that isn't necessarily imminent, but is likely to transpire given the nature of the Celtics' rotation.
It remains to be seen how that might alter the manner in which Pritchard plays, but a perimeter trio of Jaylen Brown, Pritchard, and Derrick White is likely soon to take center stage.
Boston's period of massive alterations began when Jayson Tatum suffered a season-ending ruptured right Achilles tendon during the 2025 NBA Playoffs. Many are of the belief that Tatum will miss the entire 2025-26 season, with the Celtics' subsequent string of eye-opening moves seemingly confirming as much.
That includes the decision to swap Jrue Holiday for Anfernee Simons, who has already found himself in trade rumors of his own.
With this in mind, it's fair to believe Simons will either be traded or utilized in more of a temporary capacity in 2025-26. As such, the priority in Boston will likely be the players who are signed to long-term deals—including Pritchard and the three years and $23.3 million remaining on his contract.
With Holiday out and the need for a long-term option in the backcourt impossible to avoid, Pritchard will likely be asked to step up and start alongside White.
Payton Pritchard's move to the starting lineup feels inevitable
Pritchard was the runaway winner of the 2024-25 Sixth Man of the Year award, totaling 69 more first-place votes than runner-up Malik Beasley. Pritchard earned the honor by averaging 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 3.2 three-point field goals made on .472/.407/.845 shooting.
His averages translated to 18.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 4.0 three-point field goals made per 36 minutes—figures the Celtics hope will translate to per-game marks in 2025-26.
The reasons for intrigue can be adequately summarized along those lines. Pritchard's career-best average of 18.1 points per 36 minutes in 2024-25 exemplifies what Boston will need from him while Tatum, the team's leading scorer, is sidelined.
Furthermore, Pritchard averaged 5.5 assists per 36 minutes in 2023-24 and 5.0 in 2021-22—thus implying he could help fill the playmaking void left behind by Holiday's departure.
Beyond the numbers, Boston needs Pritchard to take another step forward as an all-around player. His shooting numbers are already certifiably elite, but he'll have far less support in terms of generating clean looks in 2025-26 than he has up to this point in his career.
The task will thus become proving capable of consistently creating penetration or separation whether in on-ball or off-ball sets.
Celtics need Payton Pritchard to make another leap as a starter
Thankfully, Pritchard shot a mind-numbing 44.5 percent on catch-and-shoot threes in 2024-25—the third-highest mark of any qualified NBA player who converted at least 2.0 attempts per game. That at least implies that he should be able to adequately support Brown, Simons, and White as an off-ball player.
The question facing Pritchard is whether or not he can increase the volume with which he attacks the basket and thus create efficient opportunities for himself and others.
Pritchard was third on the Celtics in drives per game at 5.4, trailing only Brown and Tatum. He shot an absurd 63.5 percent in said scenarios, but it's worth noting that his points percentage was a mere 44.9 percent compared to Brown's 61.0 and Tatum's 73.0.
Pritchard passed out of 60.2 percent of his drives in 2024-25 compared to Holiday's 45.8 percent—the Celtics' next-leading mark among guards.
As such, the question is less about his general ability and more about how willing he'll be to change the manner in which he operates. For the Celtics to be successful without Tatum, Pritchard will need to embrace a more aggressive mentality as a scorer on the drive while maintaining his proficiency as a playmaker.
It's a difficult line to toe, and there will be a learning curve, but all signs seem to point to Pritchard taking on an expanded role as a starter in 2025-26.