The Boston Celtics will likely be leaning on point guard Payton Pritchard — hot off the heels of a career-best run in 2024-25 — more than ever this year. Boston has already offloaded former starting All-Defensive Team guard Jrue Holiday in a one-for-one deal to acquire former Portland Trail Blazers combo guard Anfernee Simons, and it seems possible Simons may be headed out the door before the start of the season, too.
Where Payton Pritchard Ranks in 2026 Sixth Man of the Year Odds originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Boston Celtics will likely be leaning on point guard Payton Pritchard — hot off the heels of a career-best run in 2024-25 — more than ever this year.
Boston has already offloaded former starting All-Defensive Team guard Jrue Holiday in a one-for-one deal to acquire former Portland Trail Blazers combo guard Anfernee Simons, and it seems possible Simons may be headed out the door before the start of the season, too.
The Celtics could also look to ditch some more perimeter sharpshooting in a trade of three-point marksman Sam Hauser, which would help carve out some major cap relief.
Without Holiday, and possibly Simons and Hauser, Boston will definitely need the shotmaking and creation Pritchard can offer.
In 80 healthy bouts last season, the 27-year-old averaged 14.3 points on .472/.407/.845 shooting splits, 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game.
After six-time All-Star power forward Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles tendon during an eventual six-game second round playoff series upset loss to the New York Knicks, it became clear that Boston's incoming majority owner Bill Chisholm wasn't going to have the stomach to foot the bill for a likely $500 million-plus payroll (in combined salary and luxury tax penalty expenses).
Thus, the Celtics began shedding contracts, and opted to ditch both Holiday and starting center Kristaps Porzingis. Boston also let third-stringer center Luke Kornet ditch the club in favor of a three-season, $41 million free agent contract with the San Antonio Spurs. Free agent power forward/center Al Horford, meanwhile, continues to weigh his options.
Last season, Pritchard was honored as the league's Sixth Man of the Year.
This season, according to SportsBetting.ag, the 6-foot-1 Oregon product has been given the best preseason odds (4/1) of claiming the award for a second consecutive year.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward De'Andre Hunter (7/1), 2023 Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid of the Minnesota Timberwolves (9/1), and Toronto Raptors guard Gradey Dick and Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ty Jerome (both 16/1) round out SportsBetting.org's top five contenders as of this writing.
Were Pritchard to win it again, he would become the first player to nab back-to-back honors since Lou Williams in 2018. He'd only be the fourth player to ever accomplish the feat. One other Celtics champ, Hall of Fame big man Kevin McHale, went back-to-back, in 1984 and '84.
But will Pritchard even come off the bench, especially if Simons is offloaded?
Pritchard adds some scoring and playmaking as an energy-changing reserve, but if he were the team's second-best guard behind All-Defensive Teamer Derrick White (i.e. after a Simons deal), could Boston afford to keep him relegated to a more minimal bench gig? Time will tell.
Related: Celtics Make 'No-Brainer' Payton Pritchard Announcement on Friday
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
