Getty Payton Pritchard, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, and Al Horford of the Boston Celtics.
There’s nothing wrong with Boston Celtics players throwing jabs at each other during their downtime. After Payton Pritchard posted a video of him playing pickup basketball, both Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart commented, taking jabs at either Pritchard’s moves or his attire.
Brown warned Pritchard not to copy his style of play or, in Brown’s own words, “Stay out (of) my bag.” Pritchard then took a shot right back at Brown, saying, “I taught (you) the handle.” Brown had a retort of his own by sending out the baseball cap emoji, which insinuates that what Pritchard said is not true.
Smart, on the other hand, pointed out Pritchard was wearing something that the Celtics guard was all too familiar with at the start of the 2021-22 season. Smart’s comment read, “Back to the mask I see,” with a flame emoji next to it. Considering Pritchard once voiced how irritated he was to wear a mask, Smart’s enthusiasm could be construed as a bit underhanded.
While all of this roasting among teammates was all in good fun, Pritchard confirmed something that may concern Celtics fans when responding to Smart.
Pritchard Confirms Recent Injury
When Smart brought up that Pritchard was wearing the mask again, Pritchard responded that he “broke it again.”
The word “it” in this context refers to his nose. Pritchard broke his nose during a pre-season game against the Orlando Magic on October 13, 2021. While the injury forced him to wear a mask, Pritchard made it to the season opener against the New York Knicks. The mask may or may not have affected how Pritchard played, seeing how he didn’t score a point in the 11 minutes he played.
Pritchard wore it until November 13, when he ditched it following the start of the second half in a 91-89 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. After the game, Pritchard vented his frustrations regarding having to wear the mask.
“I’m just done wearing it. It’s kind of annoying to wear. It takes away some of your vision. It’s just a lot different,” Pritchard told reporters. “Going forward, if I break my nose, I break my nose. It’s a little early [to stop using the mask], but it is what it is. I’m just done with it.”
There’s still two months left until the 2021-22 season begins. Knowing how annoyed Pritchard previously was with the mask, it wouldn’t be surprising if he won’t wear one when training camp starts, regardless of if he’s recovered from it or not.
The real question is, after the moves the Celtics have made, what role will Pritchard have this year?
Pritchard ‘Could Get Buried Again’
On August 10, 2022, Heavy’s Sean Deveney and Steve Bulpett talked about what Pritchard’s role on the Celtics could be now that the team has Malcolm Brogdon.
In short, Bulpett believes that, while Pritchard deserves minutes because of his shooting abilities, Head Coach Ime Udoka might have him on the bench in favor of his veterans.
“This year, he’s got more veterans to play with. That will give any coach a greater comfort factor. But then again, I fear a guy like Payton Pritchard could get buried again. Even with more people in the backcourt, you still have to find minutes for a shooter like that and a guy who can advance the ball like that.”