Payton Pritchard didn't know his nose was broken.
“I just thought it was a regular hit,” he said after the team’s Sunday practice. “But once the blood started running I knew I had to come out.”
Pritchard actually wanted to return to the game against the Orlando Magic, but the diagnosis redirected him to Boston, where the nose was set and a mold was taken for a mask that he’ll wear for the season opener in New York.
“Payton went through some non-contact today,” Ime Udoka said. “It’s a pain tolerance thing with him.”
That will, apparently, be the easy part for Pritchard. He says nothing about the process has been particularly painful. The worst part, it seems, might be the annoyance of wearing a mask to play basketball for the first time in his life.
“I haven’t had to play with a mask,” Pritchard said. “The closest thing is playing football with a helmet. As far as basketball goes I think I’ll be fine. Just have to put the reps in, get enough work that it should be normal.”
ROTATION STILL IN FLUX
The Celtics can really use Pritchard against the New York Knicks on Wednesday. Even if they get Jaylen Brown back in time to play, his conditioning will not be where it needs to be. Same with Al Horford, though he’s not expected back for Wednesday.
“There are certain guys, as I’ve mentioned, that we know what they’re about and what they can do. Jaylen, Al, being those guys,” Udoka said. “They could be behind a little bit conditioning-wise. We know what they can do when they come back and they did have the first week of training camp to kind of get acclimated to what I wanted.”
Robert Williams will be good to go against the Knicks, which helps keep at least three fifths of the starting lineup together. That will be important as the Celtics try to build some of the continuity and habits they couldn't during the preseason.
“One thing is transition, we’ve got to get better from the preseason and defending the 3-point line, specifically in transition,” Udoka said. “We did some good things, made teams try to beat us from two. We held teams to low assists percentages but we just want to guard the 3-point line a little bit better.”
EMOTIONAL REUNION
One player the Celtics will be mindful of behind the 3-point line is old friend Kemba Walker.
“I’m super excited to play New York in our first game, playing against Kemba,” Jayson Tatum said Sunday. “Kemba is one of the best guys in the NBA, one of my favorite teammates that I’ve had the pleasure of playing with. Still super close, still talk to him. I’m happy for him being back home, playing in front of his family, where he grew up. Obviously wish he could have stayed but everything happens for a reason and I’m happy for him.”
Walker started out hot for the Knicks in the preseason but struggled shooting in his last game. He also sat the entire fourth quarter of their final game, watching Derrick Rose close the game instead.
QUIT COMPLAINING
Udoka is adamant about the guys not wasting energy complaining to the refs.
“It’s a pet peeve of mine. I want guys to play through stuff,” he said. “Not to beat a dead horse about it, but guys do it and you get hurt by it. So I want guys to move on to the next play. To me it shows mental toughness in playing through and not expecting anything from the refs.”
Tatum is one of the more demonstrative Celtics when it comes to complaints. He’s going to have to adjust as much as anyone.
“Yeah, it’s just something we got to be conscious of,” Tatum said. “Not let it get us distracted, or take our energy and focus away from the game. We’ve got to focus on what we can control.”
LEADERSHIP ROLE
Tatum’s adjustment to the officiating is as much about him showing leadership as it is about getting back on defense. The team hasn’t officially named captains yet, but it won’t matter with Tatum. As the team’s best player and, if things go right, an MVP candidate, Tatum is going to be one of the team’s leaders.
Tatum’s leadership is constantly questioned, mostly because he’s generally the quiet type. Asked again about it on Sunday, Tatum bristled at being asked about it again.
Here’s his full answer:
“How do I define leadership? That’s a broad question. It’s something I’ve been asked a lot. I guess it’s a hot topic, a hot discussion, about how I lead and how do I exhibit that. I think my answer has always been the same – that I lead in my own way. I’m not the most animated guy in front of the camera in doing all those types of things, but I show up to work every day. I put in extra work every day. And I earn my teammates’ respect and trust, and my coaches’, by showing up and buying in every day. I speak up in the huddles and in meetings, I pull guys to the side and I make sure that I’m held accountable. Anybody from the head coach to the two-way guys, if they see something that I should be doing, that they can come up to me and talk to me and vice versa. So again, I lead in my own way, and I think I’ve gotten better and more comfortable with that role year after year. And I’m certain that next year I’ll be more comfortable as I get older and just have more experience. So I’m going to continue to keep doing it that way.”