Boston Celtics Injury Report: Starter upgraded, key bench player appears closer to return

Payton Pritchard was on the Celtics injury report this week and missed his first game of the season against the Atlanta Hawks. Josh Minott remains out, but he looked closer to a return in video from the team's morning shoot-around.

Jan 1, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) reacts after getting called for an offensive foul against the Sacramento Kings during the third quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

Payton Pritchard was on the Celtics injury report on Sunday, after missing his first game of the season on Friday night in Atlanta. But he has now been upgraded. 

After initially listing Pritchard as QUESTIONABLE with left ankle soreness, the Celtics have upgraded him to AVAILABLE. Here is the full injury report: 

• Chris Boucher - Low Back Spasms - PROBABLE
• Josh Minott - Left Ankle Sprain - OUT
• Payton Pritchard - AVAILABLE
• Jayson Tatum - Right Achilles Repair - OUT

The Celtics take on the Detroit Pistons on Monday night in an MLK Day matchup. Pritchard has had a couple of nice games against the Pistons, dropping 21 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in an October loss and then scoring 16 on 50% shooting in their late-November win. He struggled in their last matchup, on December 15, shooting 5-14. 

Overall this season, Pritchard is averaging 16.6 points per game despite some early season struggles dragging his efficiency to one of the lowest points of his career. Baylor Scheierman has been getting starts recently as the Celtics have dealt with the absence of Pritchard and Jaylen Brown for a game. Scheierman has filled in well, doing a lot of little things to help the Celtics, but also hitting three 3-pointers filling in for Pritchard against Atlanta. 

Minott has started 10 games for Boston this season, including nine in a row at the beginning of November, but he’s missed the last seven games with a sprained ankle. He also had a string of four DNP-CD game as part of his roller coaster season in Boston. He was on the court at the team’s pre-Pistons shoot around, appearing to be close to a return.

Josh Minott remains out, but we’ve seen him doing more and more, including on-court work. He appears to be nearing his return to the Celtics’ lineup. pic.twitter.com/mTEQsZX53h

— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) January 19, 2026

More Josh Minott content as he takes his workout beyond the arc. He’s not ready to return yet, but I don’t think that’s far off. https://t.co/xlCxfDM40l pic.twitter.com/H8ZdgYoxQM

— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) January 19, 2026

The Celtics and Pistons drew the prime time MLK Day slot before the season started, and the NBA was rewarded with a matchup of the top two teams in the East. Detroit being the top seed is a bit of a surprise, but the Celtics rising to second is an even bigger one. 

These two teams have played each other tough all season. Detroit leads the season series 2-1, but all three games were decided by seven points or less. 

Detroit and Boston tip off at 8 p.m. on Peacock and NBC.