Pritchard figures to really struggle in a playoff series where defensive game planning is paramount. These later season games against teams going through the motions or waiting on the playoffs are when he’s more likely to be able to get his shots off. I wouldn’t expect that to be the case in the playoffs [/cuban] and for that reason I don’t see him playing much as we go 8-deep with Grant, White and Theis off the bench.
Meh, Theis. He's looked less than great. I guess 10 minutes of him screening and physical defense is all we can expect
He'll get hunted, but not all teams have the personnel to hunt that matchup across all their lineups.m, so he'll probably be playable for 10-15 mins/game, depending on opponent.
.397 over his last 41. He had a rough start and has been fine since.
He had a amazing post move a couple of games ago, almost reminiscient of a 6'0" McHale. Right at the 30 second mark below.
A bit hilarious to me that his highlight reel is pretty much just every offensive possession, including his misses
He gets knocked for his defense, understandably, but he does do a few things well. He can stay in front of his man (better than last year) and I think he surprises a few big men when they switch onto him away from the basket and expect to get the ball and back him down; he gets really aggressive to try to keep a pass from being thrown in and, if they do manage to get the ball, he bangs bodies to keep them away from the rim.
Scal mentioned last night that the DS signing probably didn't initially help with PPs confidence.
Most importantly is that Pritchard didn’t have a defined role or really have any consistency with his rotations. Once taking over his current role and being placed in a consistent rotation spot he’s flourished. He’s a grinder and tough as F. Happy for the kid.
If he didn't miss one late in garbage time against the Warriors, he'd be at 11 in a row right now. He's on fire.
yep, having two big excellent defenders who can play point means you can afford a small SG who isn't much on defense (effort is nice, but he needs to be hidden on the worst guy usually).
Good point.
I do not expect us to extend him long-term past his rookie deal so no revision.
Horford, Pritchard, Kornet, Nesmith, Brown, Hauser, TL, Grant, Theis, Tatum. That's the most I can see:
It starts with Smart, Stauskas, White, and then an unlabeled locker before you get to Horford (you can see it at about the 1:15 mark). Thanks for posting that.
Maybe its a tall/short/tall/short alternation so people don't bump into each other.
I think that's a bit of an exaggeration. However, I think the Brooklyn Nets are a good matchup for him - especially in the second half after they have had to work for a while. The Nets did not exploit him in the offensive end and he scored 8 points in the 4th quarter including a dagger stepback almost 3 late in the clock.
probably me, I didn't expect that the Nets would just not hunt him and Kyrie would be so passive. Game one Kyrie didn't even have to work that hard in that matchup, he got easy buckets every trip and Ime yanked Pritchard. Tonight Kyrie was passive, and they didn't force the switches often enough to get KD on Pritchard either, they just let him hang out on Claxton a lot, which is just bad offense.
Boston played a very clean quarter defensively in the fourth period that allowed them to have a bunch of fouls if they needed them on that mismatch. In the few times that the Nets managed to get Pritchard into the action on switches, he acquitted himself pretty well. He’s learned to use a low base and active hands to put up some resistance against bigger covers.
This post could apply to Grant Williams as well. He too has been oft-maligned for the things he is not, while overlooking the things he does well.
Playing with the starters helps a lot in making him hard to exploit defensively. He was out there with Tatum/JB/Horford/Grant a lot, and that lineup can help him and recover, to the point that hunting the mismatch might not be worth it.
That's fair. PP has made it through the gauntlet (broken nose, DS fit, etc) this season. At this point, IME knows how to use him as a weapon to spread the floor with his shooting + added ball handling. Plus he can hide out defensively on the perimeter against Curry/Mills.
And sometimes it takes a game like this one to full flesh this out - playoff game, super intense defense, usual scorers locked down/struggling. The Celtics are really lucky to have not one but two really good players (Grant Williams) who don't fit the mold and so other teams kind of overlook them. They are players who have been told all their lives that they are too small or not talented enough for their roles, but have succeeded despite this. The way they do it is by staying fully within their skillset and not trying to do things they know from experience they will never be able to do (things that starting NBA players can do). But by staying within themselves, they are so good at knowing where they can use their skills to exploit opponents who take them for granted. Star players get away with taking plays off and faking it on defense - the PPs and GWs don't get a pass.
