Celtics reported to produce major shakeup using 2025 6MOTY Payton Pritchard as starter, sending $100,000,000 scorer to the bench

The Boston Celtics moved on from Jrue Holiday, and replacing his defensive prowess will be much easier said than done. They will also be without Jayson Tatum for a long time, and it might complicate their chances in the Eastern Conference.

With that in mind, coach Joe Mazzulla will reportedly look to shake things up. According to NBA insider Grant Afseth, the Celtics intend to promote Payton Pritchard to the starting lineup, with Anfernee Simons taking his place off the bench:

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“The Boston Celtics appear poised to elevate Payton Pritchard into the starting lineup while using Anfernee Simons as a high-scoring option off the bench for the 2025–26 season if he remains on the roster, sources informed FastbreakJournal.com," reported Afseth.

Pritchard is coming off his best season yet. He averaged 14.3 points and 3.5 assists per game en route to winning the Sixth Man of the Year award, and his numbers went up to 21.7 points and 7.3 assists in his three starts.

As for Simons, he's entering the final year of his four-year, $100 million contract. He's about to make $27.7 million and will be a prime trade candidate. However, if they can't or won't trade him, they can certainly use his explosive scoring off the bench, as he's fresh off averaging 19.3 points and 4.8 assists per game for the Portland Trail Blazers.

Payton Pritchard gets real on the Celtics' expectations

Payton Pritchard has been with the Celtics for his entire career, and he's more than familiar with the expectations that come with playing for that organization.

That's why, in an appearance on the latest episode of the "Celtics Talk" podcast, he made it loud and clear that this team will continue to strive for a ring, even after moving on from Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Tatum's major injury:

"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."

The Celtics will have their work cut out for themselves in an Eastern Conference that looks up for grabs with all the injuries, but they should still be considered one of the teams to beat.

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About the author

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto Cova is a journalist at Sportskeeda with a PhD in Sports Psychology. His education helped him develop a clearer understanding of the sports world as a whole, including basketball. Ernesto has over eight years of experience in the field, working for Fadeaway World, The Inquisitr, NBA Blast, The Cold Wire and Bolavip, among others.

His favorite team is the Chicago Bulls because of the Michael Jordan era. Jordan is Ernesto's all-time favorite, as he changed the game forever. Ernesto's second favorite was Kobe Bryant because he embodied that same competitive fire and Ernesto watched him play throughout his entire career. Nowadays, Ernesto really likes Stephen Curry, who he believes to be the most influential player of the past 15 years or so.

Ernesto's favorite basketball moment was when Venezuela -- his country -- took down Canada to take home the 2015 FIBA Americas Cup.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Ernesto likes to read and is interested in photography.

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