Payton Pritchard won’t be backing down from the challenge ahead.
The reigning Sixth Man of the Year saw a handful of his championship-winning teammates leave town this offseason.
Jrue Holiday was shipped to the Trail Blazers, Kristaps Porzingis is now on the Hawks, Luke Kornet signed with the Spurs and Al Horford remains unsigned, so the Celtics will look a lot different this fall. That all came after Jayson Tatum suffered a ruptured Achilles, which will likely cost him the entire season.
Those moves aren’t shaking Pritchard’s confidence in the guys still left on the roster, though.
In the latest episode of the Celtics Talk Podcast, Pritchard sat down with Celtics Insider Chris Forsberg. The Oregon alum shared why, even in an offseason of retooling the roster, the Celtics enter next season with the same goal in mind. What message would he have for Celtics fans who might not feel the same way?
“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. That’s what (the fans) should know.”
🔊 Celtics Talk Podcast: Payton Pritchard on Celtics’ summer changes, NBA’s new heave rule and Kyrie wanting to swing on him | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
The Celtics, fresh off a championship in 2024, are on a sustained run of dominance in the NBA dating back to their 2008 title. In the past 18 years, the Celtics have 17 playoff appearances with four Finals trips and nine Eastern Conference Finals berths. They’ve made the playoffs in 11 straight seasons dating back to 2015.
All that is nice, but winning titles has long been the main goal in Boston, for the Celtics and all the other teams. Pritchard, since being drafted in 2020, has quickly realized that.
Next season, he’ll have to chase that goal without some of his longtime teammates in Kornet, Holiday and Porzingis. While sad to see them go, Pritchard is happy for them to be getting bigger opportunities elsewhere.
“I mean, it definitely sucks,” Pritchard said about the offseason changes. “You become brothers with your teammates, you’re with them all the time. So, definitely going to miss them. It’s part of the business side so you have to move on.
“But you see a guy like Luke (Kornet) get paid, you know, you have to be happy for him for all the work he’s put in to earn that.
“I’m personally really going to miss Jrue. Jrue’s like a big brother, somebody I learned a lot from. One of the best teammates that I’ve ever had, and competitors. He’s the reason why we won a championship, so going to miss him a lot.
“Obviously, KP (Kristaps Porzingis), the type of person he is. Boston fans loved him, and a heck of a talent. We’re definitely going to miss those guys but it’s part of the NBA. We have to regroup, got to find new identities, new people need to step up and we got to get back to that level.”
With so many minutes now up for grabs, Pritchard plans on continuing his ascension. Last season, he averaged career-bests in points (14.3), rebounds (3.8), assists (3.5), steals (0.9) and shooting percentage (47.2).
“I feel like everybody should be excited,” Pritchard said. “There’s a lot of opportunities across the board. For me, personally, I’m excited every year. Because it’s an opportunity to prove myself again, to show that I can take another step. And that’s my goal every year. I’m definitely hungry and motivated this year, been working really hard. So I’m excited.”
Pritchard also shared his thoughts on the NBA’s potential new heave rule, Jayson Tatum’s injury and what Kyrie Irving said about his half-court shot in the 2024 NBA Finals. Check out the full episode here or on YouTube.
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