Coverage after the 125-111 win over the Bulls has centered on Payton Pritchard, a reshaped defense and who plays center. Boston is 4-1 and its numbers are good, but a five-game sample carries less weight than the headlines suggest.
Pritchard met the challenge, but his price is still unknown.
CelticsBlog, Celtics.com and MassLive's Chris Cotillo all wrote about Joe Mazzulla challenging Payton Pritchard and Pritchard answering, and MassLive also named him its player of the game. The box score backs up the praise. He scored 30 points on 9-17 shooting, went 9-9 at the line and finished plus-12 in 35 minutes as a reserve. For the season he averages 16.6 per night and shoots 43.3 percent from deep. None of that settles what he costs. His two-year extension was agreed on October 13 and no terms have been reported, so saying he has already outplayed it is premature.
The defensive numbers are strong, though Chicago helped.
CelticsBlog's Nate Moskowitz argues that the defense is winning in a new way, and ESPN's recap called the Bulls turnover-prone. Boston has a 108.1 defensive rating and a 118.0 offensive rating, for a net of 9.8. On Friday Paul George had three steals and Pritchard and Derrick White had two each, while Josh Giddey and Tre Jones combined for five turnovers. The other side came late: Chicago scored 37 in the final period after Boston's lead had reached 32. Two of Boston's five games have been against the same Bulls team, which flatters any defensive sample.
The center rotation is an open question, and a rest listing adds to it.
MassLive's Souichi Terada looked at the center rotation, and the minutes show why. Neemias Queta played 20 minutes off the bench Friday and finished plus-16. Mitchell Robinson started, went 4-4 from the floor and was minus-3 in 19 minutes. For the season Queta averages 19.7 minutes and Robinson 20.1, an even split so far. Robinson, who earns $15.0M, is listed as resting with an estimated return of November 1, the night of the Orlando game. Hoops Rumors' Luke Adams reported that Boston exercised its options on Baylor Scheierman and Hugo Gonzalez. With payroll at $198.7M and the tax line at $200.4M, a frontcourt addition has little room to fit.
Jaylen Brown still makes Boston headlines from Philadelphia.
MassLive's Cotillo reported that Brown is out with knee soreness and no timetable. He plays for the 76ers now, traded for George and draft picks, so the news matters here only as a way of judging that deal. Earlier, Kris Rhim reported that Brown's representative denied a claim that he had demanded a trade from Boston. George is averaging 21.4 points a game and shooting 41.0 percent from deep. Five games from one player and an injury of unknown length for the other settle nothing about the trade.
Has Payton Pritchard's contract extension been finalized?
Pritchard and the Celtics agreed to a two-year extension on October 13. No dollar figures or option details have been reported.
Will Mitchell Robinson play against the Magic?
He is listed as resting with an estimated return of November 1, the day Boston plays at Orlando. Nothing beyond that listing has been reported.
