Payton Pritchard should still be a full-time starter for the Boston Celtics. In the long run, it's going to be important for Boston to take pressure off of guys like Jayson Tatum, Paul George, and Derrick White in the rotation, and relying more on an established shot-creator in Pritchard would help with that.
Pritchard also deserves the nod. He's been a backup for just about his entire NBA career so far, despite being good enough to start, and the one time he was a consistent starter (50 starts with the Celtics in 2025-26 in Tatum's absence), he averaged 16.9 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.3 rebounds on 45.6/34.8/86.7% shooting splits.
However, it looks like Joe Mazzulla is keeping the Oregon native in his sixth-man role, opting to start Jordan Walsh over him. And while I still think this is the wrong decision, I get it (Walsh provides great defense and doesn't need the ball in his hands to make an impact).
Payton Pritchard has been successful as Celtics' sixth man...
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," - Joe Mazzulla... probably
Pritchard has long been a fantastic backup in Boston. He has always been a microwave who can get hot at any moment and can impact the game in a second. He was a big part of the Celtics' 2024 title run, and he won the Sixth Man of the Year award the next season.
There's nobody else like Pritchard on Boston's bench, and his playstyle is probably best utilized off the bench because of how important it is to have the ball in his hands.
It makes sense for Mazzulla to stick with him in this role. Obviously, it has worked up to this point, and the Celtics don't have a clear replacement for him if they were to insert him into the starting lineup (though other guys like Sam Hauser, Baylor Scheierman, and Hugo Gonzalez can step up and produce off the bench).
But at the same time, a lot of Boston's success this season falls on him. Without Jaylen Brown, the Celtics are going to need as much shot creation as possible, and that's where Pritchard comes in. And if Boston wants him to take a leap, it will need him to be on the court as much as possible, and making him a starter is the answer. It just doesn't seem like that's what the game plan is right now.
... but he should at least get some starts for the Celtics
Just because it looks like Pritchard is remaining the Celtics' sixth man doesn't mean he should be stuck on the bench forever.
At the very least, he should be a spot starter. George isn't going to play 82 games. Tatum and White likely won't either. In cases where any of those players miss time, it would be the right call to move Pritchard into the starting lineup (I'm also very high on Devin Carter, who could make a real impact when he returns).
The 28-year-old should still be in the starting lineup, but it's also not ridiculous for Boston to keep him in the spot he has been so good at. Still, he should have his opportunities this season, and as long as he continues making the most out of them, he will keep being a big part of the Celtics' success -- regardless of his role.
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