The Boston Celtics are adjusting to life without Jayson Tatum, and they need the help of every single player in the lineup. Anything less than 100 percent from their roster just won’t cut it this year.
Payton Pritchard, who won Sixth Man of the Year last season, is averaging 14.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.9 assists this season, which is in line with what he did in 2024-25. But when you look deeper into his numbers, you see he is struggling with one vital aspect of his game.
As noted by Daniel Donabedian on social media, Pritchard isn’t shooting three-pointers like he used to. Obviously, that is severely hurting his team’s chances.
“Payton Pritchard shooting 25% from 3 this season is mind-boggling,” Donabedian posted on X.
Payton Pritchard shooting 25% from 3 this season is mind-boggling
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) November 12, 2025
Last year, Pritchard shot 47.2 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from beyond the arc. This year, he is sinking 41.9 percent of his shots from the field but only 25.6 percent of his threes.
His overall percentage has dipped a bit, but his work from downtown has completely fallen off a cliff. He used to be Boston’s sure thing with threes, but that isn’t the case this year.
There could be multiple reasons for Pritchard’s struggles, including the fact that Tatum had a gravity on the floor that attracted a ton of defense. When opposing teams were targeting Tatum, it left others like Pritchard wide open to try for threes.
The good news for the Celtics is that the season is still young, and Pritchard may find his footing soon. If he does, Boston’s offense will get much stronger, and their chances of potentially making the playoffs will grow.
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