The Boston Celtics are back after a week of quarantine. With only a couple practices under their belts and a plethora of players out due to Covid-19, the Celtics needed their young studs to step up, and step up they did. That man, Payton Pritchard, dropped a cool 16 points on 6/13 shooting. Pritchard might be the steal of the draft. This kid is NBA ready and will only get better.
With Kemba still out with his knee recovering, Pritchard has stepped up and made the most of his opportunity. When Kemba comes back, I don’t think Pritchard will lose any playing time. He has proved that he deserves to be on the floor for a good chunk of time. One rookie that everyone was high on, Aaron Nesmith, needs some time to develop. I don’t know if he isn’t practicing well or what, but he cannot find a way to get onto the court. Scoring 5 points last night on 2/7 shooting isn’t helping his case.
With everything going on and the makeshift lineup, someone who has continued to show growth, Jaylen Brown. Brown dropped 21 last night and dished out 8 assists, all without playing in the fourth quarter. Everyone is high on Jayson Tatum, obviously, but not enough people acknowledge Jaylen Brown continues to make leaps year in and year out. Every year he improves something in his game. This year his mid-range jumper is automatic. Brown’s four year/$115 million extension is looking like an absolute steal from Danny Ainge. With Tatum and Brown locked up for the next four years and most likely the rest of their careers in Boston, these two guys will have their jerseys in the rafters when it’s all said and done.
The Boston Celtics haven’t had a real big man in years until they signed Tristan Thompson. Thompson only scored 4 points last night but did what he is paid to do, get rebounds. He finished the night with 11 rebounds, and Daniel Theis grabbed another 10. The Celtics remain in first place at 8-3, and their win streak extends to five in a row. With their next two games against the Knicks and the 76ers, I don’t see their streak ending. Everyone thought Boston sports fans were done and out because the Patriots weren’t good this year, well hello world, the Celtics are back, and you better be ready for their championship run.
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