The Celtics no longer have Jaylen Brown steering the offense, and that alone changes the conversation around Boston’s attack. In 2025-26, Brown was the clear engine: he scored at least 11.7 more points per game than any qualified teammate, finished just 0.2 assists per game behind the team lead, and took 7.3 more shots per contest than any other Celtic.
Now that Brown is gone, Boston suddenly has room to reshape its hierarchy. That opens a path for Payton Pritchard to take a major step forward and potentially grow into a true No. 2 scoring option.
On paper, the Celtics should still lean on Jayson Tatum as their primary scorer, with Paul George slotted behind him. Both have the kind of shot-making that can carry a heavy load if they stay healthy. But the numbers around them leave plenty of uncertainty.
Tatum averaged 21.8 points per game on .411/.329/.823 shooting in 16 regular season appearances in 2025-26. George, meanwhile, has played only 78 combined games over the last two seasons, and he has not averaged 20.0 points per game or more since 2023-24. Derrick White’s .394/.327/.902 shooting line in 2025-26 adds another layer to the issue, because Boston does not exactly have a locked-in scoring pecking order.
There is still reason for optimism that Tatum can get back to his All-NBA level with a healthy offseason. It also matters that 25 of George’s 45 absences in 2025-26 came because of suspension, not injury. Even so, George is 36, Tatum has played 22 total games over the past year, and Pritchard is already pushing toward a bigger role.
Pritchard has the profile to handle it. He can create his own shot, stretch the floor, and has averaged at least 18.1 points per 36 minutes in each of the past two seasons. Last season, he put up 17.0 points per game on .464/.377/.890 shooting.
The real proof came in the second half of 2025-26, when he caught fire over his final 39 games. During that stretch, Pritchard averaged 17.5 points and 2.9 made three-pointers per game while shooting .481/.423/.915.
If Boston gives him more than the 13.7 field goal attempts he averaged in that span, the leap to 20 points per game does not feel far-fetched.
There is still a case for keeping things balanced, especially since George fits Boston’s system so well. But the Celtics will eventually have to sort out who owns the bigger offensive load, and Pritchard is already making his case.
Even if George remains the more obvious scoring option, Pritchard brings something else that makes him hard to keep quiet: he can also run the offense. The 28-year-old averaged 5.2 assists per game last season, led the Celtics in assists per 36 minutes, and ranked second on the team in points per 36.
That combination is exactly why Boston has reason to let him go. If the Celtics choose to raise his volume, 2026-27 could be the season Pritchard turns promise into stardom as both a scorer and a playmaker.
In Other News...
Mitchell Robinson Just Changed Bostons Biggest Title Question
The Celtics have spent much of their offseason trying to answer one of the leagues most important questions: whether they have enough size and reliability in the middle to hold up when the games get tighter. Signing Mitchell Robinson to a three-year, $47.3 million contract is their latest move to shore up that spot, and it fits with a broader roster approach that has emphasized depth as much as star power. For a team with championship expectations, center play is less a luxury than a requirement.
Robinson is expected to give Boston quality minutes alongside Neemias Queta, giving the coaching staff another option when matchups demand rim protection, rebounding and physical play inside. The appeal is obvious when you look at recent NBA champions, which have generally leaned on stronger frontcourt depth than the Celtics have been able to count on in stretches. Boston still has bigger questions to answer over the course of a long season, but its biggest one in the paint just got a lot more interesting. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Suddenly Have A Real Path To A Dream Upgrade
The Celtics already made one sweeping move by swapping Jaylen Brown for Paul George, and that alone changed the shape of their future. Now the conversation is drifting even farther, toward a possibility that would have sounded almost absurd not long ago: whether Boston could ever put itself in position to chase Nikola Joki if the Denver situation turns uneasy.
Joki has said he wants to stay in Denver, but he has also put off extension talks, which leaves just enough uncertainty for the rumor mill to keep spinning. The Nuggets recent roster moves have only added to that feeling, even if nothing definitive has happened yet, and for Boston the appeal is obvious, a dream-level upgrade that would transform the ceiling of the roster if the door ever opened. [Read more 🡒]
Payton Pritchards Breakout Created A Celtics Lineup Dilemma
Payton Pritchards rise last season gave the Celtics something they did not exactly expect when the year began: a real lineup question. He started 50 games and posted career highs in points, assists and rebounds, making himself a more prominent part of Bostons nightly equation and forcing the staff to think beyond his old role as a spark off the bench.
Now, with the Jaylen Brown trade reshaping the roster, the discussion around Pritchard has shifted from whether he can help to how Boston should use him. There are reasons to imagine him in either spot, but the clearest case is still for him to supply scoring and energy in a reserve role, even if the door stays open for a larger opportunity if the Celtics need his all-around game in the starting five. [Read more 🡒]