On Sunday night, the Boston Celtics finished out the regular season with a 113-108 win over the Orlando Magic, capping their fantastic regular season at 56-26.

The Celtics have earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and will open up their playoff run on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET against either the Magic or the Philadelphia 76ers.

But prior to that, a nice moment happened before the penultimate game of the season against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night. Celtics' guard Payton Pritchard was honored with the 'Red Auerbach Award,' which goes to the player that most embodies what it means to be a Celtic.

Winning the award is a big accomplishment no matter the circumstances, but on the outside, it seems even bigger that its Pritchard. Why? Because of how we got here.

Drafted No. 26 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft out of Oregon, Pritchard was billed as a solid scorer, even if he was undersized (6'1) at the guard position.

And he generally fit that bill in his rookie (2020-21) campaign, scoring 7.7 ppg while playing in 66 games. 

The next season, Pritchard played in more games (71), but averaged less minutes per contest (14.1) and fewer points (6.2). The Celtics got to the NBA Finals, losing to the Golden State Warriors.

By the next season, Pritchard's role was cut again. He averaged just 5.6 ppg and played in 48 games. At the trade deadline of that season (2022-23), Pritchard approached Brad Stevens and asked him about a trade.

Per a 2025 NBC Sports Boston article in which Pritchard talked about that trade request:

I've always said this: It was nothing to do with the city or the organization. I think the organization is top-notch. I think Boston is the best sports city in the world. The best fans and the games are always sold out. As a player, you want to play in a situation like that. 

“But, end of the day, I’d rather be playing. And I wasn't playing. I was watching a lot of games. Now, we were really good and I was going to be a good teammate, regardless of the situation. But I'm a competitor and I thought I belonged on the court to play, and play with the best. And so I went to Brad and just asked if, like, there was an opportunity out there where they could get value back. It didn’t end up working.“

The Celtics stuck with Pritchard, and Pritchard stuck with the Celtics, which helped lead him to the point where he could win the Auerbach Award. He was given a four-year, $30 million contract extension in October of 2023 and then proceeded to play in all 82 games in 2023-24, averaging 9.6 ppg as the Celtics won the NBA Finals. Last season, he won the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award, averaging 14.3 ppg.

This year, he's taken on a new role yet again, scoring 17.0 ppg and helping carry the organization in the wake of offseason roster reshuffling and Jayson Tatum's most-of-the-season injury recovery.

While he's transitioned back to the bench recently, he started 50 of the team's 79 games and is an integral part of the organization's success.

Had that trade happened, he wouldn't have been. 

The on-court accomplishments are impressive, but the attitude turnaround is impressive as well. Three years ago, even being a Celtic was not on Pritchard's radar anymore, but now? He embodies what it means to be one most.

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