When you are the Boston Celtics with 18 championships under your belt, the expectations are always high. However, after Jayson Tatum’s injury and the departures of key players such as Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, many believed that it wouldn’t be the case this time around. But despite losing so much firepower, head coach Joe Mazzulla confirmed that the storied franchise will not be aiming for anything less than another Larry O’Brien trophy. Believe in easier said than done?

Not for the Celtics, probably. The championship-winning coach has wasted almost no time in backing the bold claim he made on Boston’s media day. That’s because after a recent training camp being held at the Auerbach Center in Brighton, the team’s point guard, Payton Pritchard, was spotted bleeding from the neck.

When asked about what had happened, the 27-year-old gave a stunning reply, to say the least. “It’s definitely been a war out there.” These were Pritchard’s words, according to Celtics Insider, Taylor Snow. It seems like the Cs have been going all out in their latest training sessions, as they gear up for their regular season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers. In fact, that’s exactly what was the case, as Jay King from The Athletic stated more details about his conversation with Pritchard.

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There’s a reason for the Cs to ‘train’ themselves this way. Just last postseason, many coaches voiced their concerns, hinting that officials let it slide. The Clippers’ Norman Powell said, “Honestly, I feel like the postseason is always physical,” after their Game 6 win over Denver. “They let things slide, they let you play, and they let the best of the best win.” Even Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert said, “It’s hard to compare,” before Game 5 of the Wolves’ first-round series in Los Angeles.

Rudy further added, “But (this year) does feel, yeah, it’s very physical. I think it’s always been about the consistency. … The games have been physical; we can feel the intensity.” So Jay King’s tweet, “Payton Pritchard said Celtics training camp has been physical. He brought up all the aggression OKC gets away with and said the Celtics are emphasizing that type of physicality,” reflects the Cs’ new approach.

The Celtics guard’s statement indicated that HC Joe Mazzulla wants his players to get physical this season. But why’s that? Well, King had an explanation for that as well. “Payton Pritchard said Celtics training camp has been physical. He brought up all the aggression OKC gets away with and said the Celtics are emphasizing that type of physicality,” he stated.

We all witnessed the massive role Lu Dort played for the defending champions last season. Not to mention, Mark Daigneault’s double big system featuring both Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren. So, it’s safe to assume that the Cs’ head coach, similar to the Thunder, will be trying to test the NBA officials’ patience this season.

Nonetheless, that’s something they’ll certainly have to adapt to, given the plans they’ve laid out for their franchise this season, despite missing their franchise player, Jayson Tatum.

Payton Pritchard reveals Boston’s mindset ahead of the new campaign

It’s not just Boston Celtics’ head coach Joe Mazzulla who thinks that nothing has changed for the team; Payton Pritchard also shares this thought. In fact, if you were to tell him that the Cs will not be among the best teams in the competition this season, he might chase you out of the room. That’s why, during the recent media day held ahead of the 2025-26 season, Pritchard cleared the air around the franchise’s mindset ahead of what’s supposed to be a testing campaign.

“They shouldn’t be in our locker room if they don’t have that mindset,” he said. “There’s only one mindset. There’s only one mindset of the City of Boston, and it’s you win championships here. So, it’s not even playoff-bound. We’re going for a championship.” The star guard confirmed that, given the illustrious history of the Celtics franchise, aiming for anything less than a championship is sort of a disrespect toward their caliber. Nonetheless, he did attest to the fact that he doesn’t know what the future holds for them.

“Does that mean that’ll necessarily happen? I don’t know,” Pritchard suggested. While he confirmed that he cannot state that Cs will go out and win the title this season, that’s the goal they’ll have to keep in their minds every day while working out or playing against anyone. This goes to show the elite mentality of Boston’s players and coaches; despite being nowhere near their best, they refuse to give in without putting up a fight. Now, how far will this mindset carry them this season? That’s something we all will have to wait and watch collectively.