A lot has changed for the Boston Celtics. Two years after winning a championship and reigning supreme at the top of the NBA, the Celtics have shifted course, especially after Jayson Tatum's Achilles injury. While new faces are getting used to being in Boston and learning a new system, the Celtics' veterans are setting the standard for how this season will go, especially Payton Pritchard.
Over his first few years in the league, Pritchard was nothing more than a smaller guard looking to fit in during a time when the NBA was transitioning to positionless basketball, where longer, more athletic players would be favored.
The Celtics never viewed Pritchard as a starter when they drafted him 26th overall in 2020. Instead, the team viewed him as a spark of energy they could utilize off the bench because of his perimeter scoring prowess. While he was successful when on the court, that was the problem that existed — Pritchard's minutes were limited.
“I would be lying if I said there weren’t tough times. There are always a lot of thoughts and emotions in situations like that, but I am thankful for the adversity because it’s what made me a better basketball player,” Pritchard told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. “It made me better mentally. When you go through tough times like that and when you aren’t getting what you have worked so hard for in life, it’s a chance to emerge as a better version of yourself.”
After a limited role for the third straight season since being drafted, there was a lot of talk about Pritchard wanting to be traded to a new team. This never happened, as the Celtics continued to view Pritchard as an essential part of what they were building.
Nothing ever came close to happening on the trade market with Pritchard, and so he returned for the 2023-24 season with a new four-year $30 million contract to continue proving himself off the bench.
Pritchard did just that.
The young guard played in all 82 games during the 2023-24 season for Boston, and his production off the bench helped elevate the organization to a championship. Last season, Pritchard assumed an even greater role off the bench, averaging a career-high 28.4 minutes per game en route to being named the 2024-25 NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
To say this journey has been difficult for Pritchard would be an understatement. He will be the first to admit there have been tough times early in his career with Boston, but at the end of the day, all that matters to him is an unbreakable, continuous belief in what he is capable of.
It is a relentless attitude and mindset that has guided Pritchard through the years.
“I look at the word ‘relentless' as a means to define who I am. It is an undying hunger to always keep getting better and better. Always striving for more,” Pritchard stated. “I am obviously very grateful for everything I have and will never take it for granted, but that relentlessness in me is always pushing for more. It’s always about getting to that next step in your career, life, or whatever it may be. Every day is a new opportunity to get better, and I live by that mindset.
“It’s a major reason why I’ve found so much success in my role with the Celtics.”
New role, same player in Boston
Every season always presents new changes and new roles for players around the NBA. From one season to the next, an opportunity to grow emerges, but not everyone seizes their chance to take the next step in their respective careers.
The 2022-23 season was a key time in not only Pritchard's career but also his life. As a 25-year-old wanting a larger role and doing everything in his power to elevate his talents, Pritchard spent countless hours every day staying true to who he is.
Although workouts and different techniques may have changed, Pritchard's routine was always constant and precise. He knew at some point his moment would come, and his relentlessness paid off during the 2023-24 season when the Celtics went on to win a championship.
At that moment, Pritchard's hard work and determination peaked. But that was just the start of what was to come for Pritchard, as he went on to win the Sixth Man of the Year award during the 2024-25 season, and he is now the starting point guard for the Celtics.
Before the 2025-26 season, Pritchard had only been a starter in 17 of his 347 total games. He has started in each of the Celtics' first 10 games this season. While this is a new role for Pritchard, no ego exists for the 28-year-old guard.
Pritchard remains focused on the task at hand, and he wasn't worried about any adjustment period in terms of becoming a starter because his only desire is for the team to be the best version of themselves.
“Honestly, the biggest challenge isn’t even related to going from sixth man to starter. It’s the fact that we have a completely new team,” Pritchard admitted. “You know, people can look at the first 10 games of the year and freak out. It’s normal with NBA fans. But I truly believe, and I’ve always said, that by the end of this year, the narrative will shift to evaluating how much better we got.
“That’s the new mindset of looking at each game and figuring out how we will chip away at creating this new identity and getting better.”
There is nothing “Lucky” about Payton Pritchard
Luck is always associated with the Celtics, especially given the organization's roots being tied to the Irish-American population of Boston. Even the Celtics' mascot, a guy dressed in a leprechaun outfit during games, is named Lucky.
It seems like, since Pritchard's professional career started, the word “lucky” has always been associated with him. Now, that word carries a new meaning, as the Celtics guard has partnered with Lucky Energy on a new campaign that is Boston-built and revolves around the motto of “Payton Isn't Lucky. He's Relentless.”
“We just have a lot of similarities, and it was easy to forge this partnership,” Pritchard said regarding his new campaign with Lucky Energy. “Their outlook on their brand is very similar to how I look at myself personally. I am a very relentless person, and they are all about changing the game with what they are doing. Instantly, I knew this was something I wanted to do because of how relatable it was to who I am as a person.”
Throughout his entire basketball career, going back to before he entered the NBA, Pritchard has always had to be relentless.
He was never the tallest player on the court, nor was he the most physical. But what Pritchard had that others didn't was an internal drive to always find success in any situation.
That never give up mentality and perseverance allowed Pritchard to keep his dreams alive, and now he gets to live them out every day. Even so, this stage of his career is just one chapter of his life, as this resilience and relentless mindset is something that will live with Pritchard forever, especially in this new campaign.
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Finding a way to incorporate the city of Boston into his off-the-court ventures was a key proponent of Pritchard's partnership with Lucky Energy. Through Boston, Pritchard has elevated his relentless basketball journey.
“Filming the content for the campaign in Boston was intentional for what we want to achieve,” Pritchard said. “The city of Boston represents toughness, resilience, and a gritty nature. Those three words not only describe me as a person and player, but they also describe Lucky.
“It was a no-brainer to do this in Boston, especially since it all came together in such a perfect way.”
The idea of Pritchard working with a company called Lucky Energy is ironic in a way because of how much he personally believes in the idea of luck itself.
Through the tough times and the good times over his now six years in Boston, Pritchard has always maintained the same composure and mindset when it comes to finding success. Even so, he will be the first to admit that there is always a little bit of luck associated with every ounce of success.
Funny enough, luck and being relentless are the core principles of Pritchard's campaign with Lucky Energy.
“Absolutely, 100 percent. You definitely need luck,” Pritchard pointed out regarding every athlete, not just NBA players, needing a little bit of luck in their life. “You obviously need to help control the things that put you in this position to be a professional athlete, but everyone always has a lucky break in life, and it’s not just in sports.
“I am lucky and fortunate enough to be in this position because of my toughness and resilience, which goes back to the whole campaign we have going with Lucky. But overall, you have to take care of the things to put yourself in a position to be lucky in the first place.”
Payton Pritchard's leadership unchanged without Jayson Tatum
When Jayson Tatum went down with his Achilles injury in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks, it was as if all the life had been stolen from the Celtics as an organization. Tatum is the face of the franchise, and watching him go down with such a significant injury changed the whole trajectory of the Celtics.
While it's possible Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday would have still been moved if Tatum never suffered his injury, both of those cost-saving moves were partially made because the team was prepared to take a step back.
Other than Pritchard, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Sam Hauser, and a few bench players were the only returning talent in Boston this season. Payton was prepared to step into a larger role with Holiday gone and Tatum sidelined, but that role change handed down from head coach Joe Mazzulla did not change his personality.
More importantly, Pritchard was ready for the challenge because it was something he had been waiting for.
“There are obviously some leadership aspects that come with going from the bench to the starting lineup, you know? Becoming a starter is, in a way, the franchise believing in you to become more of a leader for the younger, less experienced players,” Pritchard admitted. “Not coming off the bench and starting and maybe playing a little bit more minutes – it’s definitely different, but it’s something I’ve always worked for.
“I was ready for it as soon as Joe (Mazzulla) told me about the lineup change.”
Tatum's injury changed the entire dynamic of the Celtics.
Mazzulla changed much of his approach and philosophy, and different players on the roster were now tasked with taking on a larger role. Brown becomes the top scoring option with Tatum sidelined, and both White and Pritchard become focal points as the lead guards in the backcourt.
Even so, Pritchard stayed true to who he has always been: a leader by example and a teammate who brings out the best in his peers.
“I wouldn’t say his absence directly changed who I am or my role in becoming a leader because it was the natural flow of where we were going as a team,” Pritchard explained to ClutchPoints. “I can be a leader with or without Jayson (Tatum) on the floor. Jaylen (Brown) can be a leader with or without him. That had no impact on my leadership.
“For me, I try to lead by example; through my work ethic and how I show up every day. I am always encouraging the younger guys on our roster because I know it can be tough. I was in that spot not too long ago. There are a lot of ups and downs over the course of an 82-game season, and you learn that as the years go on. More importantly, you learn how to tackle the good and bad with that relentless mindset.
“Keeping the same constant, positive mental approach is essential, and that’s what makes you a good leader, regardless of whether you are the best player in the league or not.”
That is what Pritchard's main goal is as a leader. He wants the best out of everyone around him because Pritchard himself believes in giving his teammates his all whenever he is on the court.
It is not about personal accolades or recognition for the Celtics guard. While winning the Sixth Man of the Year award was great, as is being named a starter, neither of these things would have impacted Pritchard any differently if they had not happened.
The idea of being relentless in everything he does is what makes Pritchard such a unique leader in Boston.
“For me, my goals are things I can control every day. Honestly, it’s all about habits for me. I think that goes back to the whole idea of being relentless,” Pritchard declared. “A lot of people look at this word and relate it to how good a player is on the court, but it’s really how you wake up every day. How are your habits? Are you taking care of your body? Are you doing your workouts to the best of your ability?
“These are some of my goals – just to be on point in everything I am doing in my life, to be the best basketball player possible. That is what has made me successful, and it’s directly impacted us being a championship organization.”
The Celtics and Pritchard are just 10 games into the 2025-26 season. A lot will change over the course of the 82-game season, and the core of this team has been through this countless times together.
It is inevitable that Boston would run into some early-season issues, especially with Tatum out. But what will forge this team's identity and DNA is their ability to learn from mistakes in order to become the best versions of themselves that they can be.
For Pritchard, this is the relentless mindset he is instilling in the minds of all of his teammates as a leader in Boston.
“It is a long season, and it is inevitable that everyone will face hardships. You have to be able to look at the season through the lens of wanting and being willing to grow every day, regardless of the sacrifice. The biggest lesson I share with the younger guys is to keep that growing mentality.
“If you have it through 82 games, the outcome will be favorable for you. By the end of the year, we want to be looked at as one of those toughest teams and one nobody wants to face in the playoffs.”
