Payton

Pritchard

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.

Similar to several other Celtics players, Prtichard struggled with his shot in Game 6. He was particularly cold from beyond the arc, which is where half of his field-goal attempts came from. Poor three-point shooting aside, he actually performed offensively, with his five assists being the most for Boston on the night. He’ll likely come off the bench on Saturday and look to provide a spark in Game 7.

On a day when starter Derrick White (6/6/3/1/2 with two three-pointers) attempted just five shots, Pritchard stepped up with one of the best outings of his postseason career. The 32 points, a playoff career-high for Pritchard, were two shy of the Celtics franchise record for most in a playoff game by a reserve, which Kevin McHale still holds. While he made too many starts to qualify for NBA Sixth Man of the Year honors, Pritchard remains one of the best reserve scorers in the league. And he reminded Philadelphia of that in Game 4. The Celtics will look to close out the series on Tuesday night.

All of Pritchard’s 15 points came on his five three-pointers. None were bigger than the one to beat the shot clock and put the Celtics up by five with less than a minute and a half remaining in regulation. Pritchard was +16 in 33 minutes on the night.

Pritchard was initially listed as doubtful and has now officially been ruled out for this game. Boston is already locked in as the No. 2 seed, so Pritchard will get some extra rest. Ron Harper Jr. should take on a large role with Pritchard out.