Payton Pritchard doesn’t care about starting

Payton Pritchard has been a starter and a sixth man. Overlooked and then underpaid. Scouted as too small, then played a big part on a championship team. Now, he’s gone from making about $8 million a year to signing a two-year, $44.2 million extension. Through all of it, he says the starting label matters a lot less than what he does once he’s on the floor.

“To me, a starter is the amount of minutes you play,” Pritchard said after Sunday’s practice. “Do you finish games? Are you playing 30-plus minutes? Then you are a starter. You know what I mean?”

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It’s a useful way to think about a lineup spot, especially on a Celtics team that will need to figure out how its pieces fit together. The starting five will get plenty of attention. Pritchard’s point is that the label doesn’t tell you much by itself.

“How do you impact the game is what really matters to me.”

The label matters less than the minutes

Pritchard has seen both sides of the conversation. He started every game through the first half of last season, then moved to the bench in February as Joe Mazzulla adjusted the rotation. He remained an important part of the team in both roles. Boston didn’t suddenly need less from him because he stopped being introduced with the starters.

Now, the Celtics are working through another version of that question. Jayson Tatum is back, Jaylen Brown is gone, and Paul George joins Derrick White and Pritchard in a backcourt with a lot of responsibility to sort out. Pritchard could start or he could come off the bench. The decision will likely depend on what Mazzulla thinks the group needs at different moments.

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Pritchard sounds comfortable leaving that choice to the coach. “If that’s what Joe thinks benefits the team the most,” he said of coming off the bench. He’ll try to be the best player he can in those minutes.

That isn’t the same as saying the role doesn’t matter. Pritchard has been clear about wanting opportunities to play and show what he can do. Rather, he seems less interested in the status attached to a role than in what he can do once he has one. A starting spot is one way to get minutes, but it isn’t…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/payton-pritchard-doesn-t-care-202319634.html

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Publish date : 2026-10-18 20:23:00

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