Celtics Star Has Bold Goal for Upcoming Season Without Jayson Tatum

The Boston Celtics are widely expected to fall out of title contention next season. They have already traded away both Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, making it much harder to compete for a title.

The biggest reason why most NBA pundits believe that the Celtics will be out of the running for a title is the torn Achilles that Jayson Tatum suffered in the second round of the playoffs.

While those around the NBA don't believe that the Celtics will make much of a run at a title, one Celtics player believes that they will surprise the rest of the league.

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New starting point guard Payton Pritchard believes the team is going to surprise a lot of people around the league.

Payton Pritchard sat down with @ChrisForsberg_ and delivered a message to Celtics fans:

“We’re definitely trying to be a playoff team. We’re trying to win the championship. It’s not even about the playoffs. We have one standard in Boston and it’s to win the championship.” pic.twitter.com/c12WlrqUQ1
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) August 4, 2025

“We’re definitely trying to be a playoff team," Pritchard told Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. "We’re trying to win the championship. It’s not even about the playoffs. We have one standard in Boston and it’s to win the championship.”

Boston is going to have a big mountain to climb, even in a weakened Eastern Conference. Indiana will be worse without Tyrese Haliburton. The Knicks have a new coach. Philly looks lost with Joel Embiid perpetually injured.

Even with all of that going for the Celtics, it's going to be hard to overcome the loss of three starters in just one offseason. It certainly would be a shock if Boston ended up coming out of the East.

Pritchard will be one of the new starters, moving into the starting point guard role for the first time in his career. He will be tasked with creating more plays for others.

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Boston still doesn't have a starting power forward for next season with Tatum out of the picture, nor do they have a starting center that they can truly trust.

Until those two things are remedied, the Celtics are going to continue to be doubted throughout the season. Pritchard thinks that the team will be able to figure those things out, though.

This past season, Pritchard averaged 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. He shot 47.2 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

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