Danny Ainge gives Payton Pritchard injury update on Toucher and Rich
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge provided an injury update on rookie guard Payton Pritchard, who sprained his MCL last Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers. Ainge told 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher and Rich that it will still be over a week before Pritchard is back to full game action.
“Payton is getting better,” Ainge said. “Yeah, he was out shooting around before the game last night and moving OK. But yeah, he’s probably at least a week away before he gets back on the court with the team in a structured environment. So I’m not sure when he’ll be back playing, but he’s making good strides.
“We’re very fortunate. That was a little bit of a scary episode and we can use him.”
Payton Pritchard is making progress but still needs a week before he can return to practice, Danny Ainge told Toucher and Rich. (Eric Hartline-USA TODAY)
Pritchard avoided a major injury in the game. MCL sprains require extended recovery times, but are not nearly as significant a full tear.
The Celtics continue to get healthier and finally had their “Big 3” of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kemba Walker in the lineup for the first time on Wednesday night against the Spurs. Unfortunately, the C’s came up short in a 110-106 loss. Ainge discussed the loss and the prospects of TD Garden letting fans back in as part of his interview with T&R, which you can hear in the above podcast.
Listen above for the full Danny Ainge interview on Toucher and Rich. T&R airs every weekday from 6-10 a.m. on 98.5 The Sports Hub. Listen to full-hour podcasts here at 985TheSportsHub.com.
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