Ime Udoka confirms Payton Pritchard’s broken nose; expects him back for season opener – with a mask

At some point in most of our lives, we’ve been hit in the nose hard enough to realize that it is not among the better places to receive the brunt of any kind of significant impact, and certainly not a human extremely moving with purpose and speed.

But that is exactly what happened to Boston Celtics second-year guard Payton Pritchard near the end of the first half against the Orlando Magic in Wednesday’s penultimate preseason exhibition game, with Magic forward Iggy Brazdeikas clipping the Oregon product with visible force, forcing Pritchard’s exit from the game and eventually the remainder of Boston’s preseason slate.

Sent home to Boston to be evaluated, the West Linn native will not be available for Friday’s preseason contest against the Miami Heat, but head coach Ime Udoka did give an update as to the state of Pritchard’s nose while speaking to the press ahead of the game.

“He was looked at,” began Udoka, confirming the second-year guard had indeed broken his nose in the prior contest.

“Obviously, he has to wear a mask, it’s just a pain tolerance thing, but we’ll have him for the last few practices before the season opener,” Udoka added.

Masks are nothing new in the NBA, and hopefully Pritchard can channel his own inner Rip Hamilton in the process, as uncomfortable as some players find them.

Given that such in-game accidents like this can result in serious concussions as well or worse, that Pritchard will be able to get back on the court so soon is undoubtedly a minor silver lining if there is one to be had.

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

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