That hasn’t stopped the Celtics from playing some very good basketball of late. Boston has only lost three games since the start of March, and one of those losses came in a 96-76 blowout on Wednesday against the Orlando Magic without the team’s top six players.

Some of those players were just resting, while others are banged up and are trying to get healthy before the postseason gets underway. The best Celtic that did suit up on Wednesday night, Payton Pritchard, provided a positive update on his own health heading into the playoffs according to Noa Dalzell of Celtics on CLNS.

“The hip strain is pretty much gone now,” Pritchard said. “So that was the only thing this year that bugged me a little bit.”

Pritchard has been battling a hip injury in recent weeks, but that seems to be behind him now and he is ready to play a big role on a Celtics team that is trying to become the first repeat champion in the NBA since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018.

Pritchard has taken a massive leap forward this season and is having his best year as a pro. Despite coming off the bench, the Oregon product is averaging 13.9 points per game while shooting better than 40% from the 3-point line. As a result, he is one of the top candidates for the league’s Sixth Man of the Year Award.

If the Celtics are going to get past the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference and then whoever comes out of the West, they will need Pritchard to be at his best. His shooting and overall scoring ability has been a huge asset for them this season and will make them very difficult to beat in the playoffs if it keeps up.