What Payton Pritchard demonstrated in the Boston Celtics' 110-100 win over the Dallas Mavericks should come as no surprise. The sixth-year guard has repeatedly stated that he is not bothered by whether he starts or comes off the bench. It was evident in his performance in Tuesday's tilt.
On the heels of the Celtics agreeing to trade Anfernee Simons to the Chicago Bulls for center Nikola Vucevic, with the two sides also swapping second-round picks, Boston had to immediately address the need for a ball handler off the bench.
"It's a tough day -- to lose Anfernee," Pritchard told the Celtics' radio play-by-play announcer, Sean Grande, after helping steer Boston into the win column. "Great player, great human being. But that's the business...looking forward to playing with Vooch."
The trade also means a return to a familiar role for the NBA's reigning Sixth Man of the Year. He's a starting-caliber player, and he proved that with his opportunity in the first unit.
Pritchard boasts the Association's best assist-to-turnover ratio among starters this season. That excludes the seven assists he dished out in Dallas while only turning the ball over twice.
The 28-year-old guard navigated early shooting struggles and is knocking down 38 percent of the 6.1 threes he's hoisting since Christmas. He's pairing that long-range prowess with the ability to make a living in the paint, where he's exceptional at playing off two feet. That was evident against the Mavericks. He produced 18 of his 26 points in the paint and shot 60 percent from the field.
(P)uppet Master 🪄 pic.twitter.com/SDtYToTKqW
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 4, 2026
A two-way player, Pritchard's ability to hound opposing ball handlers makes him a formidable defender, helping the Celtics limit opponents to the second-fewest points per game.
Fortunately for them, they didn't have to worry about how he would handle having his starting opportunity suddenly ripped away.
Payton Pritchard discusses return to sixth man
As the former Oregon star discussed after a victory that improves Boston's record to 32-18, he understands the situation, and he would never allow his role change to undermine him or the Celtics.
"Real simple," he shared post-game about his conversation with head coach Joe Mazzulla about returning to the role of sixth man, via CLNS Media. "It benefits our team more. Puts another ball handler off the bench. And at the end of the day, it's about, do you play starter minutes, do you finish games? I don't really care about starting. If you want me to start, I'll start; if you want me to come off the bench, it doesn't matter. It's about when you get in, what do you do with your minutes, so that's what I was focused on today."
As currently constructed, this is what's necessary to balance Boston's rotation. Pritchard is readily aware of that.
"You see how our team is constructed, you need somebody to come off the bench to handle the rock," he said when asked if he expects to remain in this role moving forward. "It's good, D-White comes out, I come in, and there's always somebody that can bring it up, get us into the flow, stuff like that. So, it just makes the most sense for our team."