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Boston Celtics: Player grades from Game 2 victory over Nets

By Andrew DiIorio

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 20: Seth Curry #30 of the Brooklyn Nets defends Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics during the third quarter of Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at TD Garden on April 20, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 20: Seth Curry #30 of the Brooklyn Nets defends Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics during the third quarter of Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at TD Garden on April 20, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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Payton Pritchard Boston Celtics (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
Payton Pritchard Boston Celtics (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images) /

Boston Celtics player grades: Payton Pritchard (A+)

If any Celtics fan were to tell you before the game that Payton Pritchard would be playing more minutes than Derrick White, they simply wouldn’t believe you. White suffered from foul trouble early on in the contest, picking up three in the first quarter.

This led to coach Udoka calling on Pritchard to take over some of the backup point guard duties. On offense, Pritchard can most certainly fit in any scheme, as his endless range from beyond the arc allows for much more spacing on a given team.

However, defensively, his lack of size becomes a problem. For whatever reason, the Nets and Steve Nash refused to attack the shorter Pritchard on each and every possession, being able to stay on the floor and hit shots on the other end.

He finished the contest with ten points on 5-for-7 shooting in about 16 minutes.

He ended up practically closing the game for Boston, as he hit multiple clutch shots to secure the Celtics the win. This performance doesn’t mean Pritchard is necessarily playable in the series — next time he sees the floor, the Nets will look to attack and take advantage of his size.

But if he continues to make shots, then why not?

Boston Celtics player grades: Derrick White (C-)

A bit of an unfair grade for Derrick White, who simply never found his footing in the game. With Pritchard playing so well and not being able to play the majority of the first half with foul trouble, White was correctly on the bench.

He missed his only attempt from deep on Wednesday, a shot that will become increasingly important against the Nets. Brooklyn allowed a plethora of open corner 3-pointers in the second half, a trend that both Al Horford and Grant Williams took advantage of.

If White can become another name on that list to make the Nets play for poor perimeter defense, then he’ll see more than 13 minutes in the biggest game of the year.

Once D-White finds his groove against a slower Nets team, he’ll see the floor more.

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