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When taking a step back and looking at the Boston Celtics roster construction, it’s clear that wing depth is their biggest area of need as we approach the February 9 trade deadline.
According to Heavy On Sports’ Keith Smith, one player who could resolve that issue and be attainable via trade is former 2021 lottery pick Chris Duarte.
“Duarte is someone I’ve wondered about for Boston. His deal would fit into one of the Celtics TPEs. Fills a need on the wing and under team control for a couple more seasons after this one. Would you give up a protected first for him for the extra wing depth?” Smith Tweeted.
Duarte is reportedly attainable due to the Indiana Pacers’ willingness to explore a deal, per Yahoo Sports Jake Fischer on his ‘Please Don’t Aggregate This‘ podcast.
“Multiple front office figures told Yahoo Sports that Indiana has since made the 25-year-old available in recent dialogue,” Fischer said.
In 21 games this season, Duarte is averaging 6.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game while shooting the rock at a 32.1% clip from the field, 26.8 clip from the perimeter, and hitting 84% of his free-throw attempts. However, given Duarte’s success as a rookie, it’s fair to assume that inconsistent playing time and a reduced role have both had an effect on his ability to impact the game this season.
Joe Mazzulla Praises Payton Pritchard’s Professionalism
Payton Pritchard is no stranger to seeing his minutes and role decrease, having dealt with inconsistent playing time over the last two seasons; however, on January 12, he came off the bench to shine against the Brooklyn Nets.
Following the Celtics’ 109-98 victory over Brooklyn, Mazzulla spoke about Pritchard’s ability to remain ready, regardless of the minutes he’s played in previous games, noting how the third-year guard knows when it’s time to step up.
“I said it before, as far as our depth, like, I trust those guys…And to have a great team, you got to have guys that have the humility to know when it’s their time to step up. And when it’s their time not to. For Payton, I’m really happy for him. He’s maintained a level of professionalism, preparation, and just toughness to just stay the course,” Mazzulla said.
Pritchard ended the contest against Brooklyn with 9 points and 3 rebounds while shooting 57.1% from the field and 33.3% from deep to help juice Boston’s bench unit and improve their pace of play throughout the night.
Jayson Tatum Urges His Team To Continue Sacrificing
When speaking to the media following Boston’s victory over Brooklyn, Jayson Tatum spoke of his team’s need to sacrifice individual statistics and accolades in order to continue pushing toward post-season success.
“Everybody has to sacrifice to be on a great team. We have individual guys that come off the bench that could start on the majority of other teams. We got guys that start that could average more on another team. But anybody will tell you how much fun and rewarding it was last year in the playoffs to keep advancing, keep winning, to make it to the finals. And, no individual stat or accolade can measure up to being on a winning team that’s having fun. There’s nothing better than that,” Tatum said.
Boston will now turn their attention toward the Charlotte Hornets, who they are scheduled to face on January 14, as they seek their 32nd win of the season and look to continue putting daylight between them and the Nets, who currently sit three games behind them in the Eastern Conference in second place.
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