A Tribute To Phil Pressey
Apr 15, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Boston Celtics guard Phil Pressey (26) takes a shot against Milwaukee Bucks guard Tyler Ennis (11) in the third quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Earlier today, the Celtics released third-string point guard Phil Pressey, mostly due to roster crunch. After drafting rookies Terry Rozier, RJ Hunter and Marcus Thornton, the team had run out of room for the Missouri product.
I will be the first to say that I didn’t love Phil Pressey’s game. The guy never really learned how to hit the three-point shot consistently, which severely hindered him due to his lack of size. Also, advanced stats were not a big fan of Phil’s, as he only produced about .06 wins per 48 minutes, among the worst for rotational players on the C’s.
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However, this post is a hat tip to the guy. After being undrafted out of Missouri, the C’s picked him up in what was considered to be a move to purely get another D-League player. However, Phil proved to be more than that, as he surprised all and made the team.
Then, his underdog story went further. He began to earn minutes on a team that was struggling, and instantly gave it a shot of energy. Avery Bradley was struggling mightily as point guard of the team, and Jordan Crawford and Pressey were asked to fill the role.
Both did admirably in their time, and helped the Celtics start out to a surprisingly decent 10-12 record. But then the team hit a rough patch, and Jordan Crawford was traded because, let’s be honest, the Celtics were winning too much in a tanking season.
But Phil kept playing hard, and eventually earned a starting spot. He had a great performance in a surprising win vs. Washington, in which he tallied 20 points.
Phil didn’t play much after that, but he proved himself well in his rookie season. The next season, however, would be difficult for him.
The Celtics selected Marcus Smart the next season, further crowding the back court. Rajon Rondo and Smart traded off time at the beginning, but the team continued to lose. Then came Phil’s big break.
The team traded Rondo to Dallas and then shipped out Jameer Nelson a few weeks later, opening time for Phil. Phil played even better this year, and sparked the team on a lot of poor shooting nights; one in particular was a big home game against Miami, in which Phil sparked the team back from over 20 points down and almost got them what would have been a massive win. He also sparked them to a comeback win against Orlando, in a game that would have been a poor loss for the C’s.
However, that was really it for Phil. The Celtics didn’t use him much the rest of the season, and his Celtics career ended today.
On behalf of Celtics Nation, thank you Phil Pressey for being a true pro these past few years. Whether you were starting or not even playing, you helped the team out, and you will be missed.
Good luck wherever you go.