It was unusual to see Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard sporting a face mask in a workout video he posted on Instagram on Thursday.
Even teammate Marcus Smart questioned why Pritchard had the protective shield on.
“@Paytonpritch3 back to the mask I see,” Smart commented on the post.
Pritchard wasn’t trying to make any sort of fashion statement by wearing the mask. In fact, he was doing so out of necessity since he revealed he broke his nose again this offseason. This isn’t the first time Pritchard has suffered this sort of injury. The 24-year-old broke his nose during Boston’s third preseason game last year.
“@Younggamechanger I broke it again lol,” Pritchard replied to Smart.
It’s good that Pritchard can have a laugh over breaking his nose for the second time. He certainly didn’t like donning a mask last year as he struggled at the outset of his second season in the NBA. Pritchard shot 25% from the field over his first 11 games of the season while wearing the mask before ditching it.
“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,” Pritchard told reporters of the mask at the time, per The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach. “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.”
Looks like Pritchard will wear the mask for now, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he doesn’t pack it when Celtics training camp starts in about a month.
Pritchard didn’t have as productive of a season last year as he did as a rookie but still showed he could contribute off the bench. He netted 6.2 points and two assists per game while shooting a terrific 41.2% from beyond the arc.
