FEBRUARY 13, 2023•USATODAY.COM
Boston's Derrick White earns East Player of the Week honorsCeltics reserve guard Derrick White has been named the league’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
John Konchar - Loses minutes to KennardKonchar finished with three points (1-1 FG, 1-1 3Pt) in five minutes in Sunday's 119-109 loss to the Celtics.
ImpactKonchar kept his spot in the Grizzlies' rotation, but he saw a steep reduction in playing time from the 27 minutes he played two days earlier while head coach Taylor Jenkins deployed trade-deadline pickup Luke Kennard (22 minutes) as the team's top wing off the bench. The split in playing time between Kennard and Konchar may not be quite as extreme in the games to come, but Konchar's already modest role still looks as though will shrink in the wake of the trade deadline.
FEBRUARY 13, 2023•ROTOWIRE
Dillon Brooks - Stays out of foul trouble SundayBrooks finished Sunday's 119-109 loss to the Celtics with 11 points (4-12 FG, 3-7 3Pt), three assists, two rebounds and one steal in 36 minutes.
ImpactAfter fouling out in just 14 minutes in the Grizzlies' 128-107 win over the Timberwolves on Friday, Brooks returned to his usual level of playing time Sunday while doing a better job of avoiding the whistle. Though the Grizzlies might have gotten an upgrade on the wing by swapping in Luke Kennard for Danny Green at the trade deadline, Kennard played 22 minutes in his team debut Sunday and doesn't yet appear to be a serious threat to Brooks' spot in the starting five. Brooks may need to improve his play to hold down the gig for good, however, as his solid defense may be the main reason he's still seeing major minutes. Brooks has converted on a career-worst 39 percent of his 14.3 field-goal attempt per game for the season.
FEBRUARY 13, 2023•ROTOWIRE
Payton Pritchard - Scores efficiently off benchPritchard provided 12 points (4-7 FG, 4-7 3Pt), three assists and one rebound in 18 minutes off the bench in Sunday's 119-109 win over the Grizzlies.
ImpactThough he's typically on the fringe of head coach Joe Mazzulla's rotation when Boston is at full strength, Pritchard has now taken on 21- and 18-minute workloads over the past two games while Boston was without Jaylen Brown (face), Marcus Smart (ankle), Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles) and Al Horford (knee) for at least one of those contests. Horford is good to go moving forward after returning Sunday, but the three guards could all be at risk of missing both legs of the Celtics' Tuesday/Wednesday back-to-back set versus Milwaukee and Detroit to close out the pre-All-Star-break schedule. As a result, Pritchard looks like a good bet to continue seeing double-digit minutes for at least one more week.
FEBRUARY 13, 2023•ROTOWIRE
Santi Aldama - Fills up stat sheet SundayAldama finished Sunday's 119-109 loss to the Celtics with nine points (2-11 FG, 2-9 3Pt, 3-3 FT), seven rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal in 28 minutes.
ImpactAldama's erratic shooting from the three-point range took a bigger performance off the table, but his ability to check off every major category made him useful enough for those that streamed him in Sunday. He's unlikely to approach 30 minutes like he did Sunday on a regular basis, however; the elevated playing time was a byproduct of starting power forward Jaren Jackson fouling out in just 20 minutes.
FEBRUARY 13, 2023•ROTOWIRE
Al Horford - Delivers big game in returnHorford (knee) finished Sunday's 119-109 win over the Grizzlies with 16 points (5-9 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 2-2 FT), nine rebounds, five assists and one block in 30 minutes.
ImpactBack in action following a two-game absence due to an inflamed right knee, Horford came through with one of his better fantasy performances since the calendar flipped to 2023. Though he's moved into more of a tertiary role on the offensive end in his age-36 season, Horford could notice a mild boost in usage over the Celtics' final two games before the All-Star break with Boston potentially without the services of Jaylen Brown (face), Marcus Smart (ankle) and Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles), all of whom sat out Sunday. Over the long haul, however, Horford will deliver most of his value in the blocks and three-pointers category rather than in the scoring column.
FEBRUARY 13, 2023•ROTOWIRE
Celtics Guard Payton Pritchard Opens up After Not Being Dealt Ahead of NBA Trade DeadlineThe Boston Celtics certainly were quiet ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline. Rumors surely swirled around the club, but the Celtics ultimately o...
FEBRUARY 13, 2023•KANSASCITY.COM
