MIAMI, FLORIDA - MAY 19: Payton Pritchard #11 of the Boston Celtics dribbles against the Miami Heat in Game Two of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals at FTX Arena on May 19, 2022 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
On August 18, Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard posted a video reel of him playing pickup basketball in Los Angeles, California. While the reel emphasized Pritchard’s abilities as a basketball player, something else that was noticeable was that Pritchard was wearing a protective mask while playing.
This is something that teammate Marcus Smart pointed out in the comment section, saying, “Back to the mask I see,” to which Pritchard confirmed that he was wearing it because he had broken his nose again. Pritchard broke his nose during the 2021 NBA preseason in a game against the Orlando Magic on October 13, 2021, which forced him to wear a mask for the first few weeks of the 2021-22 season.
On September 8, Pritchard posted another Instagram video that contained highlights of him playing pickup basketball, including a dunk from the six-foot-one-inch guard. This time, however, he was seen playing without any protective mask on.
Not wearing a mask would indicate that Pritchard has healed from his broken nose, which means he should be ready to go when the season starts.
Pritchard’s Role This Coming Season
On September 9, an Eastern Conference executive told Heavy’s Sean Deveney some of the potential problems Pritchard may have with the Celtics during the season, from his defense to trust issues with Head Coach Ime Udoka.
“I think there is some concern about how (Pritchard) fits in,” the exec told Deveney. “You’ve got three ballhandlers now who are ahead of him in the rotation, all of them are very good defenders, and Pritchard just is not. He can get on the floor because of his shooting, but he did not seem to have that trust factor with (Ime) Udoka. They were willing to include him in deals this summer, though obviously, it was not their first choice.”
On September 8, Heavy’s Steve Bulpett talked about what went wrong last season, from when Pritchard was benched in favor of Dennis Schroder to when Pritchard’s minutes went down during the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
“I think one of the Celtics’ problems early last season was the underutilization of Pritchard. And I think part of that was first-time head coach Ime Udoka’s comfort with going with the veteran Dennis Schroder rather than a second-year guard.
“Pritchard didn’t do so well with the limited playing time, but that’s understandable. Shooters need touches to stay in rhythm, and he certainly proved his worth when his court time increased. And it’s not a coincidence that Pritchard fell off in the Finals when his minutes and shots were cut.”
It’s hard to gauge what Pritchard’s role on the Celtics will be going forward with Malcolm Brogdon now on the team.
Pritchard’s Number During the Finals
Pritchard had a few standout performances during the 2022 NBA Playoffs, including helping the Celtics put the Bucks away during the second round by scoring 14 points on five three-pointers.
However, when the Celtics got to the NBA Finals, Pritchard’s minutes steadily decreased from Game 1 to Game 6. Pritchard went from playing as many as 19 minutes in Game 2 to play as few as five minutes in Game 5.
In the six games Pritchard played, he averaged 2.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, and one assist a game while shooting 30 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from three.