The Boston Celtics currently look very different than they were in 2024, when the team claimed an NBA championship. Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis have been moved elsewhere during the offseason, but the biggest issue is the terrible injury suffered by franchise superstar Jayson Tatum.
During the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks, Tatum suffered a devastating Achilles injury. This will see the 4-time All-NBA First Team member miss a majority of next season. And despite the magnitude of his absence, teammate Payton Pritchard has big aspirations.
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Payton Pritchard doesn't want to hear about lowered expectations in Boston ๐ค
More from Pritchard's 1-on-1 with @ChrisForsberg_ on Celtics Talk ๐ https://t.co/ORBN6M2e2n pic.twitter.com/cKNCyuDJMC
โ Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) August 5, 2025
"We're definitely trying to be a playoff team. We're trying to win a championship," Pritchard said. "It's not even about playoffs, we have one standard in Boston and it's to win a championship.
"Everybody in that locker room will have the goal of competing for a championship. And we will do everything in our power necessary to go for that. Thatโs what (the fans) should know."
A scout recently explained that Tatum is looking a lot better than players dealing with Achilles tears at this stage of recovery. That's interesting, and perhaps part of the reason why Pritchard seems confident enough to state that the team's goal remains to win it all.
The East is hardly incredibly strong, and remains up for grabs going into next season. If the likes of Pritchard can help Jaylen Brown and Derrick White carry the team to the postseason, a late Tatum return could mean it's a possibility.
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