Despite an unlucky hit vs. Orlando, Boston’s Payton Pritchard off to a good start in his second season

It might be a few games before we see second-year Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard on the court again, and when we do he might be a masked man.

After getting clipped in the face by Orlando Magic wing Iggy Brazdeikas, the Oregon product excited the game, and did not return for the second half of action in the Celtics’ third game of their 2021-22 preseason schedule. After the contest ended in a narrow loss for Boston with mostly camp invitees on the floor, Celtics head coach Ime Udoka revealed the extend of Payton’s facial impact.

“He’s going to get it evaluated here, (then) fly back to Boston (with a) likely broken nose.”

“We’ll see when he’s ready from that, and he’ll be going back to Boston and miss the Miami (Heat exhibition finale) game,” added Udoka.

Even with the unfortunate injury, Payton was impactful for the Celtics early despite being asked to expand to his game, which Udoka spoke about at several junctures.

“It’s good to see Romeo (Langford), Aaron (Nesmith), and Payton while he played in a different role,” he explained, noting it was a hint of what they could do if their number was called.

If the sharpshooting point guard can do more than simply score and launch it from deep, perhaps adding some playmaking to his game as well, it’s very possible he, Langford, and Nesmith all play their way into a larger role by season’s end.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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