Payton Pritchard spent the first 48 games as the Celtics starting point guard.
Pritchard had never been a full-time starter, starting just 17 of 347 career games entering this season. He finally had the
opportunity this season until the Celtics traded Anfernee Simons to the Bulls.
The trade left the Celtics without a guard off of the bench who could create a shot for himself or others consistently, so head coach Joe Mazzulla gave the defending Sixth Man of the Year his old job back.
Since that point, Pritchard has been awesome, scoring 20 points in 4 of the 5 games. He has also played over 30 minutes in all of those games and he looks ultra confident in the familiar role. Boston needed a punch in that 2nd unit with Simons gone and Payton is the best option to play that role. He has averaged 21.8 points, 6.0 assists and 3.o rebounds per game in the 5 games since moving to the bench.
There could be for a number of reasons Payton has been great. He could be comfort in the role. He has been a reserve his whole career and maybe he was struggling to figure out how to fit in with the starters. Although, that would be strange because he plays with those guys a lot anyways.
It could be more opportunity. When he comes into the game for the first time, one of Derrick White or Jaylen Brown is typically headed to the bench. He enters the game and the Celtics give him the ball to create offense.
— #LetsGoCeltics (@gobosceltics) February 12, 2026
He gets the switch onto a bad defender in Norman Powell and goes to work, drilling the step back three.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t doing this stuff as a starter; he was doing it less. He had not been getting to his spots as confidently as he has since the move to the bench. He has also made his threes, making almost 40% of his threes in the last 5 games.
— #LetsGoCeltics (@gobosceltics) February 12, 2026
Josh Okogie goes to switch the screen as Amen Thompson sticks on Neemias Queta so he doesn’t get a free roll to the rim. That leaves no one on Pritchard and he makes them pay.
“I can start, I can come off the bench, it don’t matter,” he said after the Celtics win against the Mavericks on February 3rd. “Just what the team needs, being killer in my role. That’s what it takes.”
Pritchard was awesome again in the Celtics dominant win over the Bulls on Wednesday night, scoring 26 points with 8 assists and 5 rebounds off of the bench. He played confident all night and hit shots.
— #LetsGoCeltics (@gobosceltics) February 12, 2026
He really liked the matchup against Nick Richards, attacking it a lot as the Bulls kept giving him the switch.
— #LetsGoCeltics (@gobosceltics) February 12, 2026
Just get the matchup you like and go to work. He loves that step-back where he takes two steps back to create the space. This short mid-range shot has been money all year for Payton.
Whether it is confidence, opportunity or his shot luck has improved, Payton Pritchard has been great since moving back to the bench. If the Celtics are going to accomplish their goals, they’ll need Pritchard to play like this.
