ROXBURY, Mass. \u2013 How will the Celtics fare next year?<\/p>\n
The term \u2018Gap Year\u2019 has been used by the media and fans alike to describe the upcoming NBA season, given that Jayson Tatum<\/a> is expected to be sidelined as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles.<\/p>\n In addition to Tatum, the Celtics lost four rotation players this summer: Jrue Holiday<\/a> (Portland Trail Blazers), Kristaps Porzingis<\/a> (Atlanta Hawks), Luke Kornet<\/a> (San Antonio Spurs), and Al Horford<\/a> (who is expected to sign with the Golden State Warriors).<\/p>\n What remains is a roster that still boasts three of the team\u2019s top five scorers from last season \u2013 Jaylen Brown<\/a>, Derrick White<\/a>, and Payton Pritchard<\/a> \u2013 and young, but more unproven talent like Jordan Walsh<\/a>, Baylor Scheierman<\/a>, and Neemias Queta<\/a>, among others.<\/p>\n As such, few expect the Celtics to be in the mix for a playoff run. FanDuel\u2019s betting odds have them winning around 42 games next season, while NBA.com<\/a>\u2019s offseason power rankings project the Celtics will be the fourth-worst team in the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n But Pritchard isn\u2019t buying the popular notion that the Celtics are punting the season. In fact, he expects the team to once again contend for a championship, as wild as that may sound to some on the outside.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s only one mindset, always \u2013 I\u2019ve never been on any team in my life where the mindset wasn\u2019t to try to compete for the championship,\u201d Pritchard told CelticsBlog on Saturday, at a 1-on-1 basketball tournamen<\/a>t he hosted in Roxbury. \u201cPeople can say gap year and all that, but as a competitor, that should never be it, and that\u2019s not the mindset of the city of Boston, either.\u201d<\/p>\n Celtics team president Rich Gotham said he appreciates Pritchard\u2019s outlook on the upcoming year.<\/p>\n \u201cI just love it,\u201d Gotham said. \u201cPayton\u2019s a fighter. He has a chip on his shoulder \u2013 he\u2019s like, \u2018No one\u2019s going to tell us we\u2019re not competing for a championship. That\u2019s what we\u2019re going to do.\u2019And I love it. That breeds confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n Payton Pritchard could be a starter for the first time in his NBA career \u2014 but he\u2019s not worried about it<\/p>\n How the Celtics\u2019 season will play out next season is one major question.<\/p>\n How Pritchard\u2019s individual campaign will play out in a second.<\/p>\n The 27-year-old is fresh off a Sixth Man of the Year campaign in which he averaged 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, shooting 47.2% from the field and 40.7% from three. It was a massive leap from the year prior, and it was the first time in his career that he was a consistent scoring option.<\/p>\n Next season, he could become a full-time starter for the first time in his NBA career.<\/p>\n Or, the Celtics could elect to start Anfernee Simons<\/a>, the talented scorer they acquired from the Trail Blazers this summer. Simons, who has averaged 19.3 points per game in his career, has started every game he\u2019s played in for the past three seasons.<\/p>\n The conundrum has caused fans to hotly debate which guard should start.<\/p>\n But Pritchard, for one, remains unconcerned: \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of things can change in a year \u2013 you can start a couple of games, you cannot,\u201d he said. \u201cFor me, it\u2019s about controlling what I can control \u2013 and that\u2019s coming into games and changing the game, and being an unbelievable player and helping my team win. So that\u2019s the only thing I\u2019m focused on, ever. It\u2019s not about accolades, it\u2019s not about starting or anything like that. It\u2019s about: how can I become the best player possible?\u201d<\/p>\n Pritchard said he\u2019s always had that mindset, even when he was younger \u2014 awards, accolades, and even starting positions just didn\u2019t matter. That perspective ultimately resulted in him earning Sixth Man of the Year last season, but more importantly, it helped him become a winning player.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw that\u2019s how you make more progress \u2013 focusing on the things you can focus on, rather than awards and stuff like that,\u201d he said. \u201cLike, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m chasing these numbers to be an All-Star.\u2019 That\u2019s just not who I am and never will be.\u201d<\/p>\n How next year plays out for the Celtics is anybody\u2019s guess<\/p>\n If the roster stays healthy \u2013 and players like Pritchard, White, and Brown put together career years \u2013 the team could exceed expectations in a wide-open East. Offseason acquisitions Anfernee Simons<\/a>, Luka Garza<\/a>, Josh Minnott<\/a>, and Chris Boucher<\/a> also remain wildcards.<\/p>\n The latter three, all of whom are on minimum deals, don\u2019t come into the season with massive expectations, but any could capitalize on the enormous opportunity at hand.<\/p>\n Pritchard thinks that Boucher, his former University of Oregon teammate in 2016, was a particularly great pickup.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a high-energy guy,\u201d Pritchard said. \u201cThe plays he\u2019ll be able to make are unbelievable at times. I do remember one thing from college \u2013 he never gets tired, so we should definitely use that, him running the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think he\u2019ll fit wonderfully, and we definitely need him.\u201d<\/p>\n The Celtics could be done making moves. Or, several more could be in store. Simons is one guy who could be out the door; since the day he was acquired, he has been embroiled in trade rumors, and the team remains above the luxury tax. Hauser is another name that has surfaced in conversations around the team\u2019s potential offseason salary shedding.<\/p>\n Regardless of what the final roster looks like, Pritchard made one thing clear: the group\u2019s intention is to shock the world and far exceed expectations.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s not even something that has to be stated.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not a gap year,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a year to prove [something], take a step, and show people that we are still that team.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll put the pieces together. And we will come out and compete, and try to win every game, and put together a great season \u2013 and go for a championship.\u201d<\/p>\n