When Jayson Tatum went down in May of 2025, all eyes were who on the Boston Celtics was going to step up in the place. Of course, all eyes were on Jaylen Brown, who did about as spectacularly as Boston could have asked from him, but people weren't sleeping on Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser.
That wasn't just because they were among the longest-tenured players on the roster, but many were wondering if both or either of them would step up in Tatum's absence. How they did last season showed Boston what they should expect from them going forward.
Payton Pritchard proved that he deserves a bigger role
Ever since Boston consistently started expanding Pritchard's role more and more, he has rewarded their faith in him and then some. In fact, with Tatum out for three fourths of the season, Pritchard proved that he could handle a bigger load as the de facto starter before the Celtics put him back as the Sixth Man in anticipation of Tatum's return.
17 points, 5.2 assists, and 3.9 rebounds were all career highs. His shooting splits of 46/38/89 weren't too shabby either. It gets better, as not only did his numbers remain the same even after Tatum returned (proving his adaptability), but his numbers without Brown were impressive enough that there's a solid case that he was putting up All-Star numbers.
One of the most important storylines to follow in the East is if Payton Pritchard can scale his game up in the absence of Jaylen Brown’s USG%.
— Basketball University (@UofBasketball) August 12, 2026
INCREDIBLE with JB off the court last year, but it’s a whole different ballgame with him off the team. Heavy MIP potential regardless. pic.twitter.com/LFmeZSV8DT
That hidden secret on top of what he was able to put up showed the Celtics that they haven't gotten the full scope of how good he can be until he's given the usage he deserves. With Brown gone, there's a very good chance Pritchard will take another leap this coming season.
Sam Hauser proved that his role should stay the same
While Pritchard proved that he has enough talent to see his role expanded going forward, Hauser proved that he is what he's been since joining the Celtics and not much more: a three-point specialist who holds up quite well on the defensive end given his limitations.
For the record, Hauser was not bad in the Celtics mostly Tatum-less season. He averaged 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists, all of which were technically career highs, but when you look at his career numbers, it's fair to say that they are more par for the course.
Hauser didn't do better or worse with Tatum absent, which was a noticeable contrast from Pritchard, who definitely thrived in a bigger role. All of this is not to rag on Hauser, but to point out that he is what he is and, pending any Tatum-like catastrophes going forward, is best as a specialist rather than as a starter. With Paul George on the team, Hauser will be back where he belongs in the second unit.
Even though their individual seasons went differently, both Pritchard and Hauser will definitely factor in the Celtics' success this season. The one difference being that one will factor more than the other, which is a stark contrast from when Boston went on their Banner 18 run two years ago.
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