Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard believes a quicker offensive approach will benefit the 2024 NBA champions following Jayson Tatum's injury. Tatum sustained an Achilles injury during the playoff semi-final against the New York Knicks in May, sidelining him for the start of the new season. The Celtics have also seen significant roster changes during the off-season.
Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and Luke Kornet have departed from the team. Meanwhile, Anfernee Simons and Chris Boucher are set to don green jerseys for the 2025-26 season. Pritchard expressed confidence that these changes, along with a shift in tactics, will be advantageous for the team.
Pritchard explained why the faster style of play is being adopted now rather than earlier.
"We were winning," he said. "If JT [Tatum] wants the ball at the top, JT's a top 5 player so you might as well give him the ball & let him work. " This highlights how Tatum's presence influenced their previous strategy.
The absence of Tatum at the start of this year necessitates a different approach. "We don't have him at the beginning of this year, so we got to go to what benefits our team the most," Pritchard noted. The team is adapting to maximise their strengths without their star player.
Pritchard acknowledged that having players like Tatum and Porzingis allowed them to rely on individual scoring abilities previously. "When you got a guy like JT, KP [Porzingis], who you can throw it to on the elbow and score, you weren't going to change things up when you're winning a championship," he stated.
Payton Pritchard, AGAIN. 12 PTS, 5-5 FGM, 2-2 3PM in the 1Q! pic.twitter.com/7b22WEFVP7
- NBA (@NBA) October 12, 2025
The Celtics' final pre-season game against the Toronto Raptors is scheduled for Wednesday. They will then kick off their NBA season against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 22. This marks a new chapter as they adjust their gameplay without Tatum initially.
Pritchard also commented on how teams often imitate successful strategies in basketball but emphasised that it's crucial to adopt what truly works for one's own team. "I think the NBA sometimes can be a copycat league, but you got to go with what really works for your team," he remarked.
