Getty Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics

As the Boston Celtics continue to navigate the off-season, they will be keeping a close eye on their players’ development plans, and taking note of who they’re working out with, and what tournaments they’re participating in.

You see, while it’s in everybody’s interests that players continue to stay fresh during the summer, there is always a risk of injury, which could be catastrophic for a franchise’s plans to begin the season.

Unfortunately, it looks as though those concerns might be justified, as Payton Pritchard confirmed he had suffered a broken nose on one of his recent Instagram posts which showed him playing in a face mask similar to what he wore in the early parts of the 2021-22 NBA Season.

Looks like Pritchard has broke his nose again pic.twitter.com/CyDU7KfaSQ

— Adam Taylor (@AdamTaylorNBA) August 18, 2022

Luckily, a broken nose doesn’t limit a player’s availability, although there is certainly a question about whether playing in a face mask can be restrictive – both to breathing and in terms of hand-eye coordination.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Pritchard donning a protective face mask, as the sharpshooting guard, wore one throughout the month of October after breaking his nose in a pre-season game against the Orlando Magic.

Payton Pritchard nose update: pic.twitter.com/ZNKPdlmwRq

— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) October 17, 2021

Unfortunately, Pritchard struggled to adapt to the face mask and began the season slowly.

“I’m just done wearing it. It’s kind of annoying to wear. It takes away some of your vision. It’s just a lot different. Going forward, if I break my nose, I break my nose. It’s a little early to stop using the mask, but it is what it is. I’m just done with it,” Pritchard said when asked about whether the mask was inhibiting him from playing at his optimal level. 

In fairness, Pritchard also struggled for consistent playing time due to the presence of Dennis Schroder. Shooters need consistency to reach their premium level, and given that Pritchard’s minutes were few and far between, that lack of regular playing time may also have contributed to his slow start.

Similar to last summer, Payton Pritchard finds himself buried in Boston’s guard rotation. With the addition of Malcolm Brogdon and last season’s addition of Derrick White, Pritchard is likely to find minutes hard to come by, despite his three-point shooting ability being a skill the Celtics sorely need.

As things stand, the Celtics’ depth chart at the guard positions looks like this

As you can see, both White and Brogdon can play either guard position, giving the Celtics some flexibility with their rotations – while Pritchard also spent a large portion of his rookie season playing as an undersized two-guard. However, as you can see, Pritchard is at the bottom of the Celtics’ depth chart for both positions, meaning his minutes project to be limited unless there are injuries throughout the season.

For Pritchard, this isn’t anything new, but if he’s to continue improving and developing his game, then consistent game-time is integral, and one would hope Ime Udoka can provide him with said playing time.

Last season, Pritchard averaged 6.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, and two assists per game while shooting 41.2% from the perimeter – and it’s that three-point shooting ability that makes him so valuable to the Celtics, so hopefully, he continues to get his opportunity to play, regardless of the other guards in the rotation.