Payton Pritchard actually thought the Boston Celtics would be better this season

4 days ago 2

If you listen to most NBA and even Boston Celtics podcasts or read articles on the same, there is no shortage of mea culpas circulated through the media from analysts who did not see this success in the Celtics' cards this season. And to be clear, we are talking about many of the best league analysts in the game whiffing on just how good Boston has been without not just injured star forward Jayson Tatum, but also Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Luke Kornet, and Kristaps Porzingis, all dealt away or signing elsewhere this offseason.

But the Celtics themselves felt differently about the NBA's 2025-26 regular season. And while it is normal for players in the Association to have irrational confidence about their ceilings, in this case, they have been schooling the best minds in the media. "I kind of thought we could be in this picture and even better," said Boston guard Payton Pritchard earlier this week via CLNS Media.

"So that's why I ... said what I said last night," added the University of Oregon alum. "It's like we're not happy with third (place in the Eastern Conference)."

"We're not sitting there like, 'Oh, man -- third place!'; we're used to being winning championships and being first, and that's what we're trying to get to now. "

"It's not like we look at it every day and like worry about it. We're more worried about, like, our personal development, getting better as a team, and, by the end of the year, are we going in the right direction?"

For the moment, at least, that latter question at least doesn't need much of an answer, because the Celtics clearly have been. Whether they can maintain it through the slow days of January into spring is another question, but one that can be crossed when necessary.

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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Payton Pritchard actually thought Celtics would be better this season

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