Boston Celtics rookie Payton Pritchard suffered a finger injury on his left hand during practice on Saturday and will likely miss some time, head coach Brad Stevens said.
The injury to Pritchard further highlighted the early depth concerns to the Celtics at the point guard position in training camp. Celtics starter Kemba Walker could miss the start of the season due to knee rehabilitation but the injury to Pritchard doesn’t appear to be too serious.
“Payton Pritchard had his finger pop out today,” Stevens said on a Zoom call with reporters. “I don’t know what the right medical term for that is but they were able to place it back and, hopefully, his timeline to return to practice will be sooner rather than later on his left hand.”
Pritchard, the 26th overall pick, has impressed teammates so far during training camp. His work ethic and demeanor on the court has earned praise from Jayson Tatum while Grant Williams complimented his willingness to learn in the early going.
The Celtics begin preseason play on Tuesday with the start of the regular season looming on Dec. 23 so it seems reasonable to believe Pritchard will be ready to play worst-case by opening night.
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