Jason Tatum’s injury has significantly changed the Boston Celtics’ trajectory.
The Boston Celtics have moved from a championship candidate to a reconstruction team focused on developing young talent.
The Celtics traded Julu Holidays with key starters Christaps Porzingis and lost rotation players Al Horford and Luke Cornett.
The roster features Anfenny Simons as a potential emerging star along with role players Nimeas Keta, Chris Boucher and Luca Garza.
The majority of the responsibility falls on superstars Jalen Brown and Derrick White as they are expected to bring the Celtics into the playoffs.
But longtime Celtics insider Bob Ryan believes another player is facing an increase in scrutiny.
Payton Pritchard, now in the 6th Man of the Year, could see his role expand significantly.
Ryan suggests that Pritchard’s perfect support role last season may evolve into something more demanding.
“We’re back 100% from 2026-27 and witnessing him in 2025-26 is a bonus,” Ryan said.
“It’s going to be an additional pressure on Pritchard, for example. He flourished in a perfect role for him last year and now he has to move forward with the food chain.”
Ryan wondered if Pritchard could attract attention and maintain his production.
“When he focuses more, we’ll see if he can maintain that level of play,” he added.
Pritchard averaged 28.4 minutes in 80 games last season, starting just three contests.
These numbers could increase significantly, especially when Joe Mazzulla implements a smallball lineup with Pritchard as a starting point guard.
The guard recorded solid statistics with 14.3 points, 3.5 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game, shooting 40.7% from the 3-point range.
The Celtics need Pritchard to maintain or improve its production in order to remain competitive in playoff positioning, despite lower championship expectations.