As each day of the 2026 NBA offseason passes, we inch closer to the start of the 2026-27 regular season for the Boston Celtics. And as Opening Night draws nearer, the outline of the roster that will take the floor for Game 1 of 82 is starting to come into focus as well.
After Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens traded star forward Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers, it became clear that this is a critical season for the team's current contention arc, with the team being remade to maximize the rest of the team's sole superstar, Jayson Tatum. What is the ceiling, floor, and our expectation for each of the players currently under contract with Boston given this sea change in structure for the team?
To such an end, Daniel Donabedian
and Justin Quinn of the Celtics Wire took a player-by-player deep dive into the answers for these questions. So let's dive into our assessment for Payton Pritchard for this edition of our player projections for the campaign soon to arrive.
Payton Pritchard - guard
Ceiling
JQ: This might be the most important season of Payton Pritchard's career as an individual player in terms of setting his ultimate ceiling in the NBA. He might have a more important role to the team in the future, but he may never have the sort of opportunity in front of him to spread his wings as he will this season.
And for the Oregon native, the absolute best reasonable outcome for him would be an All-Star injury replacement honoring a campaign that sees him score north of 20 points per game on his usual efficiency with a near-double-double on some nights, whether through assists or rebounds. He'll likely fall a bit short of this, but it also isn't a pipe dream for him.
DD: With former Celtics star Jaylen Brown gone and current Celtics star Jayson Tatum less than two years removed from rupturing his Achilles, another Green Teamer will have to step up in the scoring department. Payton Pritchard seems like the prime candidate, as his stats have consistently increased alongside his minutes in recent years and he’s proven to be one of the most durable point guards in the NBA.
Whether or not he starts next season remains to be seen, yet, in my opinion, that might not matter. He’s going to play around 30 minutes per game regardless. And if his 3-point efficiency can creep back to 40 percent (or higher), he’ll be on the cusp of a stellar year. Now, an All-Star year? Probably not. Although, the fact that his ceiling even reaches that high says a lot about Pritchard’s potential.
Floor
JQ: The floor is actually pretty high save for the usual caveat regarding injury. A season seeing the Oregon alum put up a similar season or maybe even slightly worse in terms of his counting stats and his efficiency from beyond the arc and more generally is about the worst I think we can reasonably expect.
He may be an older player than some may realize given he was picked up in the 2020 NBA Draft and is already 28 years old. But age-related decline is likely several years in the future, so the biggest obstacle Pritchard will likely face is living up to the bigger role that will be asked of him.
DD: We’ve already gotten to see what Pritchard looks like with a higher usage rate, so it’s hard to imagine him crumbling under the pressure that comes with increased touches. But, if his 3-point shot undergoes some inconsistencies like it did last season, the 6-foot-1 point guard might not be able to surpass what he accomplished in 2025 when he won Sixth Man of the Year.
In short, Pritchard’s floor isn’t that low. Boston would be in a tough spot though if the 28-year-old can’t make up for a sizable portion of the scoring absence left by Brown. Besides Tatum, there’s only so much you can realistically expect from a 36-year-old Paul George and a 32-year-old Derrick White.
Expectation
JQ: I think Pritchard putting up about 18-19 points, and close to 5 rebounds and 6 boards per night with his shooting improving slightly from last season a reasonable expectation given what we have seen from the Boston floor general in recent years.
A lot of that will be dependent on how he is used, whether he comes off the bench, and of course his own growth as a player. But this is his moment, and everything we have seen from Pritchard since he has joined the league suggests he will make the most of it.
DD: If he does primarily come off the bench, I could see Pritchard make a run for Sixth Man of the Year again. Boston will need to let him loose — the days of former Celtics head coach Ime Udoka keeping him at the end of the bench are ancient history — and he could put together a great season with that longer leash.
His defense and Boston’s expected seeding will likely prevent him from approaching All-Star status during the 2026-27 campaign. However, he doesn’t have to transform into a bona fide star to prove his worth. As long as he backs up Tatum with 15 to 20 points per game and continues to be the scrappy player Celtics fans know and love, he will make the Green Team better in a meaningful way (and get paid in the process).
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Ceiling, floor, expectations: Payton Pritchard with the Boston Celtics in 2026-27
