Why are the Celtics starting Jordan Walsh over Pritchard?

The Celtics depth chart has a name in the starting five that jumps out: Jordan Walsh. Boston are expected to start Derrick White, Neemias Queta, Paul George, Jayson Tatum and Walsh at the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday 10 November 2026. The one player who plays like a starter is sitting on the bench: Payton Pritchard.

Walsh averages 16.1 minutes a game across nine games. Pritchard averages 26.4, Queta 21.8, Sam Hauser 20.7, Baylor Scheierman 20.3 and Mitchell Robinson 18.9. That is five players who see the floor more than the man in the starting five, and it says a lot about how the Boston Celtics actually use their roster.

So the starting five is only half the story. Below is who plays, who starts, and why the order off the bench tells you more than the names on the opening tip.

Who is in the Celtics starting lineup? The expected five at Philadelphia is Derrick White, Neemias Queta, Paul George, Jayson Tatum and Jordan Walsh. The five comes from recent starts, minus anyone ruled out, and confirmed lineups come about 30 minutes before tip-off. This five allows for everyone on the injury report.

Four of those names fit the picture of a first unit. Tatum, George and White are the three heaviest-minute players on the roster. Queta is the starting center and sits fifth in minutes. Walsh is the outlier: ninth in minutes among the 12 players who have settled into the rotation.

Walsh's 16.1 minutes a game sit below Pritchard (26.4), Queta (21.8), Hauser (20.7), Scheierman (20.3) and Robinson (18.9). The sections below track that gap player by player.

Three players carry the load and they are the three you would guess. Jayson Tatum plays 34.4 minutes a game over eight games, Paul George 30.4 over eight and Derrick White 30.0 over nine. After that the order stops following the starting five.

Neemias Queta is the only other expected starter inside the top five, in fifth place. Walsh is ninth. Behind him are Luka Garza (13.3), Hugo González (13.1) and Mike Conley, who has played just three games and averages 7.1 minutes.

Pritchard is first off the bench, and the page gives his projected minutes in that role as 27.3. The bench order on the page runs Pritchard (27.3), Hauser (17.2), Scheierman (16.6) and Robinson (15.5). Those are the projected minutes for the game, so they are a different measure from the season averages in the table above (26.4, 20.7, 20.3 and 18.9). Read the two as separate things: one is what the team expects on Tuesday, the other is what has happened over the first nine games.

Either way, Pritchard is far ahead of the rest of the bench. He averages 12.9 points and 3.8 assists a game and shoots 35.4% from three. Walsh averages 4.4 points. That is a gap of 8.5 points a game between the player who starts and the one who does not.

The rest of the bench is a shooting group. Sam Hauser hits 40.8% from three and averages 7.8 points. Baylor Scheierman hits 46.2% from three while averaging 5.8 points in 20.3 minutes.

There is a fair case for Jordan Walsh on his own figures, and it is not about scoring. He averages 3.7 rebounds in 16.1 minutes and 0.6 steals a game. His rebounds are level with Luka Garza's 3.7, and Garza plays 13.3 minutes.

The shooting is the weak spot. Walsh's 39.5% from the field is the lowest among the 12 players in the rotation table, and his 30.4% from three is below Pritchard, Scheierman and Hauser. In the table below he is last on points, field goal percentage and three-point percentage of the three players compared.

Pritchard is the stronger scorer and passer, and Scheierman is the better shooter from three.

Boston have three centers and each has a different job. Neemias Queta is the starter and the most productive: 21.8 minutes, 9.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks a game, on 56.6% shooting from the field. His 5.9 rebounds are second on the team behind Tatum's 6.3.

Mitchell Robinson is the first big off the bench and the pure rim player. He averages 18.9 minutes, 5.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 0.8 blocks, and shoots 62.5% from the field with no made threes (0.0% from three). His 5.5 rebounds tie George for third on the team.

Luka Garza is the shooter of the three. He plays 13.3 minutes for 7.3 points and 3.7 rebounds, and hits 54.2% from three. Walsh and White are the guards in the expected five, and Tatum and George the forwards, so Queta is the only big in the opening group.

Four Celtics are listed Out on the injury report: Devin Carter, Chris Cenac Jr., Dillon Mitchell and Amari Williams. Statuses follow the official NBA injury report and update through the day. For the latest on who is out for Boston, check the page before tip-off, or the wider NBA injury report.

None of the four is among the 12 players in the minutes table above, so the rotation figures are unaffected. Carter has not played this season, Cenac Jr. has appeared in three games for 3.2 minutes a game and Mitchell in one game for 2.5 minutes. The Celtics at the 76ers preview has the full matchup.

Boston are 7-2 over their last nine games, so this rotation has been winning.

Confirmed lineups come about 30 minutes before tip-off, so compare them with the expected five of White, Queta, George, Tatum and Walsh. The one change that matters is whether Pritchard starts instead of Walsh, because it would put the fourth-highest-minute player in the first unit and bring the starting five closer to the minutes order.

If Walsh starts, the number to keep an eye on is how many minutes he gets compared with his 16.1 average, and how many Pritchard gets compared with his 26.4. Tracking the Boston Celtics starting lineup and rotation for 2026-27 shows both, and today's NBA starting lineups has every other team's five once they are confirmed.

Odds and projections are for information only. Please gamble responsibly. 18+ (21+ where required). These are game statistics, not settled bets.