What we hope to see from Boston Celtics No. 3) Rookies have a good followup
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the C’s preseason debut was how well the likes of their rookies Aaron Nesmith and Payton Pritchard played.
Exuding confidence in their shot and on defense — both had a block each — both first-rounders showcased skills that could lead them into a rotation spot come the regular season.
The best performance of the two came from the No. 26 pick in Pritchard who, in 22 minutes, logged 16 points, four rebounds, three assists, and a block on 60 percent shooting from the floor and 33 percent shooting from deep.
Proving capable of creating his own shot while being able to move without the ball and spotting up for catch-and-shoot scenarios, the former Oregon star seemed tailor-made for a Brad Stevens-lef offensive scheme in his debut.
As for Nesmith, while his conversion rate was not stellar — 3 of 8 shooting — he still managed to post eight points, five rebounds, and one assist in 19 minutes of play in his first actual in-game action in 11 months.
In tonight’s final preseason outing, we hope to see as good of or even better performance from Boston’s rookies as we did on Tuesday.