The Boston Celtics are set to embark on a six-game road trip in the next two weeks, which could see an extended absence of guard Payton Pritchard.
Pritchard was ruled out before Wednesday night’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers due to a heel injury, which was suffered during the fourth quarter in the contest prior against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
As the Celtics hit the practice floor Thursday in preparation for the long road trip, head coach Joe Mazzulla further added to the uncertainty surrounding Pritchard. Mazzulla revealed that it’s unknown whether or not Pritchard will travel with the Celtics, but rookie JD Davidson will remain on the roster for insurance, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.
Pritchard’s injury all goes back to a late offensive possession in Cleveland. Before teammate Grant Williams let Boston down at the free-throw line in the final seconds of regulation, Pritchard pushed the floor and attempted a game-winning layup over three Cavaliers defenders, positioning Williams to draw the foul.
After landing hard on his left heel, Pritchard was assisted off the floor. The 25-year-old has spent the majority of his third year in the league rummaging for time on the floor with the Celtics, generating speculation of Pritchard’s potential departure from the Celtics ahead of this season’s NBA trade deadline.
The Oregon product has played a career-low 12.5 minutes over the course of 45 games played so far with the C’s. As expected from being limited, Pritchard’s offensive production has taken a hit. He’s averaging 4.7 points off 4.6 field goal attempts while shooting 39% from the field and 33.1% from beyond the arc, making all new career-worst averages for Pritchard.
Pritchard saw his greatest minutes boost in the month of January, playing 16.4 minutes through 13 games. However, since then, his time on the floor has dipped down from February to the start of March, hovering around the 12 minutes mark.
The Celtics begin their road trip Saturday night when they face off against the Atlanta Hawks. Tipoff from State Farm Arena is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
