The Celtics are making a small but meaningful tweak Sunday night in Milwaukee, and it says plenty about where Payton Pritchard stands in the rotation.
Boston is starting Mike Conley against the Bucks in Round 2, even though there are no injury issues and everyone on the roster is available. It’s a nod to a decorated veteran, a show of appreciation for a respected locker room presence who has become part player, part mentor and part coach.
But the move also sends a clear message: for now, Pritchard remains locked into the sixth-man spot.
That’s not a knock on Pritchard. If anything, it reflects how valuable the Celtics believe he is when he leads the second unit. Keeping him there makes the rotation easier to manage, and Boston appears to prefer that structure over shaking things up.
Wednesday’s first meeting with Milwaukee offered a chance to test something different. The Bucks came into that game at 1-8, tied for the worst record in the NBA, which made it a natural spot to see what Boston might look like with Pritchard in the opening group. Instead, the Celtics stayed with the more conservative path.
That choice matters. If Joe Mazzulla wanted to come out aggressive, starting Pritchard would have been the obvious swing. The fact that Boston didn’t go there suggests the team feels no urgency to move away from its current setup.
Still, there’s a case for at least exploring it. Pritchard is a three-level scorer, one of the best in isolation last season, and a knockdown shooter who’s tough to keep out of the paint. He could be Boston’s second-leading scorer this year.
He also fits cleanly alongside Jayson Tatum. Their chemistry stands out, especially when they’re working pick-and-rolls or simply forcing defenses into tough decisions when one is a pass away from the other. That pairing creates problems for opponents and opens up the offense in a way that’s hard to ignore.
The appeal of starting Pritchard is simple: see what it looks like. If it doesn’t work, Boston can always go back.
The Celtics don’t appear inclined to take that step right now, and that’s a reasonable position. They can still get Pritchard on the floor early and use him to close games.
For the moment, though, Sunday’s lineup choice makes the hierarchy pretty clear. Conley gets the ceremonial start. Pritchard keeps the sixth-man job.
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