Payton Pritchard sinks four triples, scores 18

Pritchard will play through an eye abrasion and likely handle his typical workload. If Pritchard faces any limitations, Mike Conley could pick up some extra playing time.

Pritchard has an eye abrasion that could prevent him from suiting up against Charlotte. Mike Conley would likely operate as the Celtics’ backup point guard if Pritchard isn’t available, though that will likely only be in a limited capacity.

Pritchard was listed as questionable with a shoulder injury, but has since been ruled in for Wednesday’s game against the Bucks. He’s coming off a rough game where he was 0-of-7 from the field with four points in 30 minutes against the Rockets Monday.

Pritchard most recently played 30 minutes off the bench in Monday’s loss to the Rockets. If he can’t play Wednesday, Mike Conley could slide into the back end of the Celtics’ rotation, but that isn’t guaranteed. Conley should not be rostered in redraft leagues.

Given his performance in Boston’s two comfortable wins over the Bulls this week, Pritchard clearly enjoys playing against them. After putting up 28 points on Monday, the Celtics guard came off the bench to record his first 30-point game of the season. Over five games, Pritchard has been inconsistent scoring-wise, alternating between double- and single-digit outputs. He’ll look to buck that trend when the Celtics face the Magic on Sunday.

Pritchard had a rough performance on Friday, where he was held to just four points on 1-of-5 FGs. He surpassed his total for points and three-pointers through their first two games in this game alone. Pritchard is more than capable of producing to this level, though it won’t come consistently. However, he’ll continue to play a significant role off the bench and see plenty of usage.

Pritchard, who signed a two-year, $44.2 million extension on Tuesday, racked up a game-high 11 assists on Wednesday. He’s coming off his most productive season to date, posting career-best averages in points, rebounds, and assists. Pritchard finished last season as a top-100 player in 12-team formats, and fantasy managers can reasonably expect similar production in 2026-27.

The six-year vet has seen his role blossom from rotational microwave-scorer in Year 1 to key piece of Boston’s 2023-24 title run and 2024-25 Sixth Man of the Year. Pritchard enjoyed the most productive season of his career in 2025-26, posting career-highs with 17 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists across 32.6 minutes. Jayson Tatum is back in the mix to open the season, but Pritchard should remain a key scorer and playmaker, and the extension he signed is a reflection of the team’s confidence in him as a foundational franchise player.

Boston’s bench looked to be in midseason form with Pritchard carrying the bulk of the scoring workload for the non-Tatum unit as he finished the opening half with a team-high 15 points. He drained 5-of-8 attempts from three-point range and finished second on the Celtics behind Jayson Tatum with 12 shot attempts. Pritchard remains a streaky shooter capable of putting up huge scoring numbers when he’s in a groove. He’ll be a top-100 range selection in fantasy drafts this fall.

Even with Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla making three changes to his starting lineup for Game 7, Pritchard remained in his usual reserve role. A 2-of-7 night from beyond the arc prevented him from being as impactful as he can be, especially when the three-pointers are falling. Saturday night was a disappointing conclusion to what was, overall, an excellent season for Pritchard. His production picked up once he moved back into the sixth-man role, and that should be Pritchard’s responsibility for 2026-27 with a healthy Jayson Tatum in the fold. Pritchard offers a top-75 fantasy floor, but the ceiling is somewhat limited.