Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard had a noticeable gash on the side of his neck when he spoke to the media after practice on Saturday. When asked about the wound, Pritchard revealed he got it on Friday and that the Celtics’ training camp has been quite physical.
“That was yesterday,” Pritchard said. “But it’s been very physical. It’s definitely been a war out there. I am tired, but it’s good to push the body to the limits to get ready for the season. So, definitely pushing ourselves.”
Here is a look at Pritchard with that gash.
Payton Pritchard, bleeding from the neck: “It’s definitely been a war out there.” pic.twitter.com/kHBZKpsAQV
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) October 4, 2025
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is quite a character, and it’s not a surprise he has been pushing his players to the limit in training camp. Mazzulla might have been pleased to see Pritchard bloodied as well, considering how he reacted to Kristaps Porzingis bleeding during Game 2 against the Orlando Magic in the first round of the 2025 playoffs.
Mazzulla has also advocated for fighting to come back to the NBA, and one wonders what has been going on behind the scenes. Pritchard stated that there has been an emphasis on physicality after they saw what the Oklahoma City Thunder did in the playoffs last season.
“When you see OKC, who won the championship, they get away with a lot of hands, fouls, physicality, stuff like that,” Pritchard said. “The NBA, I feel like, in the playoffs, is allowing a lot more physicality to happen. But we gotta learn how to play through it and be more physical. So, we’re emphasizing it and yeah, it’s been good.”
The Thunder were allowed to play tough, physical defense on their way to the championship in 2025. The Celtics, the 2024 NBA champions, plan to do the same and also want to be better prepared if they come up against something similar themselves.
It’s unlikely we’ll see the Celtics be a big factor in the playoffs in 2026, though. Key pieces such as Porzingis and Jrue Holiday have been traded away in the offseason, while Jayson Tatum is out long-term after tearing his Achilles tendon against the New York Knicks in the playoffs. There has been talk about Tatum making an early return, but it might be a while before we see him back to his best.
The events of the last few months have meant Pritchard is set to have a bigger role on the Celtics than ever before. The 27-year-old averaged 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game in 2024-25 to win Sixth Man of the Year.
Pritchard could be elevated to the starting lineup for this season over new arrival Anfernee Simons, and that would be quite a show of faith. He does have greater familiarity with the system and has played alongside Jaylen Brown and Derrick White for multiple seasons now, so that could well be the right decision.
Pritchard has only started 17 games in his five seasons in the NBA after the Celtics selected him with the 26th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He put up 21.7 points per game in his three starts last season, and it will be interesting to see if he can keep up that level of production over the course of an entire campaign.
