BOSTON — It took only five minutes for Payton Pritchard to find his rhythm. He needed the next five to answer head coach Joe Mazzulla’s call Friday night against the Bulls to begin Boston’s NBA Cup run.
Pritchard grabbed an offensive rebound by successfully boxing out 6-foot-9 Matas Buzelis before finishing the putback in the second quarter. On the next possession, he knocked down his third 3-pointer of the night, prompting Chicago to call a timeout. Mazzulla was waiting for him on the sideline, greeting
Pritchard with a huge hug.
“Joe challenged me,” Pritchard said after Boston’s 125-111 NBA Cup win. “I feel like in the first four games my defensive activity and my rebounding have been poor. Obviously, that’s coming in and out, fluctuating minutes. So challenging me to step up in that area, and I think the hug was for me doing that and him being thankful I’m doing it.”
Mazzulla wanted the scrappy, menacing version of Pritchard to appear on both sides of the floor. He wanted the guard who gives opposing teams headaches offensively and defensively by going the extra mile. In return, Pritchard tapped into his 8-Mile persona.
With legendary rapper 50 Cent seated courtside next to the Tatum family, Pritchard unleashed his inner P-Rabbit against the Bulls, and Mazzulla’s excitement was shared by the rest of the team.
Paul George, Hugo González and Mike Conley were among those who rushed toward Pritchard before Mazzulla could get to him. For the second time this week, Pritchard turned Chicago’s defense into his own personal playground. Only this time, his impact extended well beyond scoring, as he made his presence felt in multiple areas of the floor.
Pritchard is in his seventh season with the Celtics and has already been a vital part of a championship team. He’s brought home a Sixth Man of the Year Award and recently signed a two-year, $44.2 million contract extension before the start of the season. But in Mazzulla’s eyes, there is still plenty of untapped potential within the undersized 6-foot-1 guard.
“I think Payton’s a guy that gets better every year, and I think the sky’s the limit for him,” Mazzulla said. “I think he hasn’t completely tapped into the player that he can become, and that’s just being complete on both ends of the floor and not being defined by one thing. In tonight’s game, you saw the absolute best version of him.”
Usually, Pritchard is perceived as an outside shooting threat — which he is. But to Mazzulla’s point, Friday night was a prime example of what else Pritchard can offer.
Offense is where Pritchard warmed up. He fed Neemias Queta for short-distance floaters, drew contact from Leonard Miller to convert an and-one opportunity, and kept the scoring fluid. On the other side, he recorded two steals and three rebounds, twice forcing the Bulls to take timeouts after crowd-erupting plays.
Pritchard’s versatility is nothing new. He’s proven capable of impacting winning as both a starter and a reserve, finding different ways to contribute regardless of his role. But when playing alongside stars like Jayson Tatum and George, and defensive standouts like Derrick White and González, some of those abilities tend to get overlooked. Other times, Pritchard’s opportunities to showcase his ability to disrupt opposing offenses are limited.
However, that wasn’t the case for the second of two against the Bulls.
Chicago had 99 problems, and Pritchard was the biggest one. He finished with a game-high 30 points on 9-of-17 shooting, and went a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe.
Boston’s brand new bright green, gray, and gold NBA Cup court quickly became Pritchard’s stage. He understood the task Mazzulla bestowed upon him and viewed it as a “privilege” more than anything else.
“Pressure is a privilege,” Pritchard explained. “I’m gonna go through ups and downs, but it’s gonna make me better. And I’m gonna figure out how to be a complete player. I’ll catch my stride in all those areas and just get better and better.
Pritchard added: “I appreciate Joe testing me and challenging me to be better because the team needs me to be better, and that’s what I want. So it’s a good thing.”
With a great degree of responsibility Pritchard is poised to shoulder this season, those opportunities won’t be limited to Boston’s NBA Cup opener. It’s still early in the team’s 2026-27 season, meaning the coaching staff is still figuring out the cast and how to best maximize the group.
“As we continue to grow as a team and he continues to grow as a player, being a complete player on both ends of the floor really helps us take it to a different level,” Mazzulla said. “He’s got more in the tank. He’s a kid that can continue to get better and better. I like pushing him, I like coaching him, and I love him like a brother.”
