Joe Mazzulla, Boston Celtics, Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard
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Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla talks with reporters during Boston Celtics media day at the Auerbach Center on September 29, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts.
The Boston Celtics have won five straight games heading into the weekend.
Boston improved to 34-18 on the season with a pair of road wins in Texas earlier this week before returning home Friday night to erase a 21-point halftime deficit against the Miami Heat. Jaylen Brown led the comeback effort with 29 points in the 98-96 victory at TD Garden.
Boston made a significant trade earlier in the week, sending Anfernee Simons and a second-round pick to the Chicago Bulls for Nikola Vucevic and a second-round pick on Tuesday afternoon.
The deal addressed the frontcourt need and created a ripple effect through the rotation.
That change showed up immediately in the backcourt, and the Celtics rediscovered their secret weapon in the process.
Celtics Guard Slides Back Into a Familiar Role
Payton Pritchard came off the bench for the first time all season on Tuesday night in Dallas.
After starting each of his first 48 games, Pritchard returned to his sixth-man role in the 110-100 win over the Mavericks. The adjustment did not slow him down. He dropped 26 points on 12-of-20 shooting in 35 minutes, checking in midway through the first quarter and immediately sparking the offense.
The production looked familiar. This was the Pritchard who won Sixth Man of the Year last season. This was the player who thrived in a role designed around instant offense and relentless energy.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla saw the move as a way to strengthen the rotation right now. With Simons gone, Boston are now short on ball-handlers. They needed someone coming off the bench who could run the offense when Derrick White sits.
The results followed immediately. Pritchard put up 27 points in Houston on Wednesday and added 24 more in Friday’s comeback win over Miami. Across the three-game stretch, he averaged 25.7 points while playing 34.7 minutes per game.
Those minutes matter. Despite coming off the bench, Pritchard is logging more time on the floor than he did as a starter earlier this season. The role changed, but the responsibilities expanded.
Payton Pritchard points
GettyPayton Pritchard of the Boston Celtics
The Numbers Explain Why This Works Right Now
Pritchard has been one of the league’s most efficient scorers all season.
He ranks as the NBA’s most effective isolation player, converting 63.5 percent of his attempts when creating his own shot.
The bench role amplifies those skills in the current rotation. Coming in against second units gives Pritchard more space to operate. Opponents have to choose between matching his pace or getting burned by his shot-making. Most nights, they cannot do both.
The production speaks for itself. He averaged 25.7 points while shooting efficiently across all three contests. In Dallas, he went 12-of-20 from the floor. In Houston, he knocked down half his three-point attempts. Against Miami, he shot 8-of-15 and helped erase a 21-point deficit.
The consistency matters more than the volume. Pritchard is not forcing shots or trying to do too much. He is playing within the offense and taking what the defense gives him.
Pritchard proved he can start and produce at a high level. He did it for 48 straight games. But the last three games showed he can also dominate coming off the bench when that is what the team needs.
Underdog NBA
Payton Pritchard back in the Sixth Man role:
24 PTS, 4 3PM 27 PTS, 7 AST 26 PTS, 7 AST
Celtics complete 22-point comeback win vs. Heat.
What The Celtics Gain From Staggering Minutes
The move to bring Pritchard off the bench solves a specific problem for the current roster.
When White checks out of the game, Boston needs someone who can handle the ball, push the pace, and organize the offense. Pritchard does all three.
Friday’s comeback against Miami showed exactly how valuable that production becomes. Boston trailed by 21 at halftime and needed someone to carry the offense when the starters struggled. Pritchard delivered 24 points and helped fuel the comeback that ended with a 98-96 victory.
The flexibility becomes even more important if Jayson Tatum returns before the playoffs. Adding Tatum to the starting lineup would shift the rotation again. Pritchard coming off the bench would give Boston a reliable scorer who can keep the offense moving during stretches when Brown and Tatum sit.
The Celtics acquired Vucevic to address their frontcourt depth. But the trade also created an opportunity to optimize how Pritchard’s skills fit into the rotation.
Final Word for the Celtics
Payton Pritchard spent the first half of the season proving he could start.
The last three games proved he can dominate in whatever role the team needs.
Twenty-six points in Dallas. Twenty-seven in Houston. Twenty-four against Miami. The production speaks for itself, but the context matters just as much. Pritchard thrived after returning to the role that earned him Sixth Man of the Year last season.
The Celtics rediscovered what made Pritchard so dangerous last season. Their secret weapon was there all along, waiting for the right moment to be unleashed again.
Boston found what the current rotation needed most. Pritchard does not need to start to produce. He just needs the ball in his hands and the freedom to attack.
The Celtics face the New York Knicks on Sunday before the All-Star break. Boston will look to extend its winning streak to six games with Pritchard continuing in his current role.
The role might change again down the line. For now, Pritchard is thriving right where Mazzulla needs him. And the Celtics are thriving because of it.