When The Fanbase And The Franchise Needed Them Most, The Hospital Celtics Came, They Saw, And They Conquered

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You could make the case that after dropping back to back games in pretty disgusting fashion, the Celts could certainly have used a vibes reset. While the results may not "have mattered" everyone knows that pretty much everything in life feels better when the Celts win. You sleep better, your coffee tastes better, life as a whole seems worth living. There are of course a few ways to get that feeling back in your life, and one of them is playing the 20-61 Charlotte Hornets, but not even the real Hornets. These were the end of the season we're holding everyone out Hornets. Everyone needs a slumpbuster at some point right?

But that was only half of the equation. The second I saw these tweets

I knew my life was about to drastically improve, you know why? Because like the bat signal pointed at the sky an injury report like that could only mean one thing. It was time for the Hospital Celtics to come save the day, this time with their Maine reinforcements. Usually when we've seen the Hospital Celts this year, there were still some rotation players mixed in. This was our first look at the true Hospital Celtics, the zero Top 6 players in the lineup version, which any Celtics fan will tell you is easily the most powerful. 

So, you combine a terrible opponent, at home, and the true Hospital Celts who do nothing but come through and deliver, and that is how you win by 33 points. We're now at the point of the season where even the fake games are even more fake, and I see it as a treat for easily one of if not the best Celtics regular seasons I have ever witnessed with my own eyes. Seeing Brad's brain on the court and the early returns being that good is not only wildly entertaining but also pretty much confirms this man is a fucking savant.  

Think about it. I am going to assume your mood is 1000x better today than it was the morning after the Knicks debacle. We all know this game doesn't mean anything, but god damn was it fun to finally get back to seeing the Celts play well. At the end of the day, all I want in these last two games are full health and a good time. Give me the scoring differential boost to end the year and then let's turn the page to what really matters.

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I wouldn't go so far as to say last night was in a way a look into the future or anything, but I'm also not not saying it. I guess you'll just have to keep reading and you can decide for yourself.

The Good

- The player that Payton Pritchard has developed into and the season that he is having is truly incredible. Let's first go through the list. 

Pritchard's 2023-24 season has consisted of career highs in MIN, FGA, FGM, 3PA, 3PM, FG%, 2P%, OREB, DREB, REB, AST, PTS while playing all 82 games. 

This also comes with 38% shooting behind the arc, which the the 3rd best of Pritchard's career, but given his increase in volume is certainly more than acceptable. As a starter? Buckle up. How about 21.3/3.8/8.8 on 56.5/43.3% splits and a 67.6% TS%. Curious what that looks like? Go ahead and hit play

Just a little casual 31/3/11 with only 2 TO in 31 minutes for Payton. No big deal, more of the same when it comes to him in these spot starts. As we know, if you are a fringe NBA player/G-League player and you find yourself on the court with Pro Am Pritchard, it's not going to go well for you. This is where he thrives. That was as vintage of a Pro Am Pritchard performance as you're ever going to see where it's so clear he's the best player on the floor and is going to be able to get to whatever spot he wants, whenever he wants. Once you realize that's also coming with the ultimate green light to take whatever shot he wants, and that's how you see Pro Am Pritchard drop 90 in a Pro Am in Oregon or 31 in 3 quarters in the 2nd to last game against a G-League Hornets lineup. It's all the same really.

What has stood out most to me throughout Pritchard's season is simply how much more confident he plays. It sort of feels like a guy who is starting to have the game slow down. Let me ask you this, when was the last time you felt that Payton Pritchard was rushed on the court? It reminds me of when we saw this start to happen to Tatum after his first few years, he started to read the game better, have a better understanding of defenses and how to attack, and where the reads are to create for others. Once that switch flipped, his game exploded. 

Is that not what we're seeing right now with Pritchard? The way he's improved navigating defenses either as a creator or a scorer, his finishing at the rim, his ability and willingness to use his body to create space, his passing, these are the logical leaps you see a player take when things truly start to click.

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And you know what? I couldn't be happier for him. I can only imagine how fucked it must have been to go from playing in an NBA Finals to getting DNP-CDs, so for Pritchard to be having this type of success and impact as a guy who does nothing but go about things the right way is awesome to see. 

Tell me you don't love that mentality. If this is the Payton Pritchard the Celts are able to get in their playoff run, that is going to help tremendously. He's the exact type of player who can flip a game which can flip a series which can win you a title, and he looks as locked in as ever.

- My brain knows it's too early to say what I'm about to say, but my heart can't hold it in any longer.

Jordan Walsh is a draft hit.

You can just sense it. The frame, the length, the way the ball always seems to find him whether it be rebounds or loose balls, the defensive instincts, the shooting, it's there. The one thing we really haven't seen all that much from Brad since he took over is his drafting ability, but given what we see with every other aspect of his job combined with these early glimpses, I think it's fair to assume he rules at that as well.

This isn't to say he's going to be ready for rotation minutes next year or anything like that. He's still a project. But things sure as shit look to be trending in the right direction. I now cannot wait to see him in Summer League, because that will truly let us know what type of path we might be on. If you come into Year 2 of Summer League and make it pretty obvious you're a cut above, that usually is a good sign. 

Last night I saw a guy who was already good enough to hang with fringe NBA players, and that's with him barely being able to touch the ball. The good news is we get another shot to see it against a similar quality opponent tomorrow, and I'm going to need Jordan Walsh to be featured a whole lot more.

- While he's not a Brad draft hit, he is most certainly a Brad signing hit. Another player who is clearly a cut above fringe NBA talent is Neemias Queta. The way he was able to come onto the floor and immediately dominate on both ends of the floor is the exact type of shit you see whenever Queta plays with Maine. 

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16/6/5 on 8-10 shooting with 4 OREB, given the Hornets didn't have a center on the floor it's no surprise Queta looked like a man amongst boys. He feasts on OREB and putbacks against normal NBA competition so of course things were going to get out of hand pretty easily in a game like last night. He's another one of these guys that seems to be a magnet for the basketball, especially on the offensive glass. Oshae Brissett is the same way, only Queta is 10000000x better at finishing, or at least missing in a way where he can then get another OREB and then dunk it. 

Given the free agent uncertainty of Kornet, Queta is certainly positioning himself as a potential option if Kornet were to get an offer the Celts didn't want to match. There's a reason Brad signed him to a multi-year extension, and he's another guy that has done nothing but thrive with his limited opportunity to the point where you at least have to give him a legit look. There's real talent there on both ends of the floor, he's a great roll man option in the P&R and his offensive rebounding is a legit weapon. There's value in a player like that who also won't be making a lot of money, especially being a 2nd apron team. You need to find the low cost high impact type players, and Queta feels like someone who can provide that in his role.

- I don't care who it comes against, you throw up 131 with 34 AST and only 6 TOs without your top 6 in the lineup and that's impressive. I also was relieved to see the Celts actually rebound, winning that battle 53-33. That most likely had to do with the whole "no center" thing, but whatever. That's not my problem.

It was a breath of fresh air to see guys play hard again after everyone has been on cruise control these last few games. A nice reminder of how Celtics basketball should be played, because when they play like that look at what happens. You play the right way, you play with effort and respect the game, you will be rewarded.

- While I still think his value is more around his salary figure and its tradeability, it's hard to not be intrigued by what we saw from Jaden Springer. I'm not totally sure what his role ends up being, but I'm certainly intrigued 

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Watching him it's clear he's still very raw as a prospect, which is to be expected. You know how we talked about how the game is slowing down for Pritchard and he is getting a better understanding of how to attack defenses? 

That is not happening with Jaden Springer, which makes sense since he doesn't have anywhere close to the game experience. You can just tell he's going 1000000 mph at all times, doesn't always have a plan once he has the ball and just says fuck it and relies on doing something crazy athletic, but the defensive potential is no joke.

I love his ball pressure, I love his size at the position, and if he ends up staying on the roster and his contract isn't traded, it'll be interesting to see how he develops. That's partly why these final two games are fun, because we never really get to see any of these guys get any sort of consistent run, so the fact that they look this good when they finally do is certainly encouraging.

11/6/4/3 in 24 minutes on 4-6 shooting is nothing to sneeze at, and I hope Joe gives him another start.

- Shoutout Luke Kornet for what was easily his best season of his career as well

Another beneficiary of the Hornets not having a center on the floor, all I can say about Kornet is that the man continues to be solid in his role. Is he perfect? Of course not. But as a 3rd center I'm not sure how many guys I would list ahead of him. I love his connection with Pritchard, his OREBing has been great all year, and he's the type of plug and play big that really fits in any sort of lineup.

Plus he's hilarious

- Don't overlook JD Davison's 7 assists and 1 TO in his 17 minutes. We're getting close to the point where if things are going to get expensive around here, a player like JD Davison taking a leap would be very helpful. Having that additional point guard depth would be nice, and this offense can always use an athletic guard with good size who is a plus passer. I hope he plays double the minutes tomorrow because in theory he should be one of the guys who is closest to making the leap into a regular roster spot.

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- After seeing their differential drop these last few games, it was a relief to see the Celts make up for it after only 1 game

I have just one wish, which is to be higher than 11.16. I want the juju of every team who crossed that number and went on to win the NBA title. Another boost against the Wizards wouldn't hurt, but the goal needs to be staying above 11.16. I don't care if it's 11.17 either. Just get over the '72 Bucks and we're gucci.

Things already look great when it comes to home scoring differential

and if this were to happen, all I ask from the Basketball Gods is simply to have the same ending as every other team in NBA history who has done that shit. Nothing more, nothing less. Just let us be like everyone else.

The Bad

- Tough night for Svi to go 2-13 (1-11) as he was really the only Celtic who couldn't really buy a bucket. Maybe he was too amped up to face his old team or something? A lot of his looks were great so it's not like he was forcing things or playing like an asshole, he just couldn't get anything to drop. It was very similar to Hauser's 1-18. Great looks, but nothing fell.

- I remain so fascinated what a lack of buckets there is in Oshae Brissett's game. He misses at an incomprehensible rate, but it's at the point where I'm not even mad about it? His energy is so great and his impact on the offensive glass is rather insane, but when it comes to putting the ball through the hoop I'm afraid the man has no shot. A dunk or a putback layup (and even those are iffy) and that's it. FTs? No chance. 3s? Not really. It's truly one of the more remarkable parts of this season.

We'll see Brissy pull off a million dollar move and end it with a 10 cent finish like 4 times a game, only to get his own rebound and then miss again, and then fight for the ball again even if he doesn't get it. That's 85% of the Oshae Brissett experience. Last night was a perfect example.

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3-8 from the floor, this was his shot chart

he went 2-5 from the line including an air ball, but then he was also awesome on the glass finishing with 11 rebounds (6 OREB). It might end up being one of the most fascinating things I think I've ever seen in a Celtics season. 

There's so much to love about Brissett's game, can you imagine what things would look like if he somehow didn't miss every shot he took? Even just an acceptable and average percentage would make a drastic difference.

- What is with the bullshit of never passing Jordan Walsh the ball? I'm not even kidding at this point. I'm not sure who needs to give the memo, but if Walsh is on the court the focus needs to be on his development, and in order for that to happen he needs to be able to touch the ball. If you find yourself looking off Walsh when he's open, I say it should be a $1,000 fine. Pass him the goddamn ball.

It's no surprise that once his Maine teammates started to do it Walsh started to immediately deliver, so I am begging the main roster guys to cut the shit. I don't need Walsh getting cardio, I need him to experience NBA reps with the ball in his hands. 

The Ugly

- I dunno, they won by 33 points. What could possibly have been this bad? Maybe giving up 15 3s and 42% from deep to a terrible team? That wasn't great.

It also wasn't great losing the 3rd quarter 33-25 and giving up 50/54% splits, but they obviously recovered so it wasn't that big of a deal that a 30 point lead got cut down. Was there a part of me that thought maybe we were going to have another Hawks/Kings situation on our hands when the Hospital Celts couldn't score? I won't lie, maybe 13%. You go through what we've gone through and it's impossible not to. I don't love that, but it's the honest truth.

And suddenly, we arrive at Game 82 of the season. Pretty crazy that we're already here, and what a magical season this has truly been. Close this thing up tomorrow and then we begin the most important journey of our entire lives. This team either becomes an instant legend, or it's the biggest choke in NBA history.

I need a minute.