Celtics’ Long-Term Center DILEMMA | Payton Pritchard a STARTER? – Flashcard Friday

Celtics’ Long-Term Center DILEMMA | Payton Pritchard a STARTER? – Flashcard Friday

It’s a flashc card Friday. I got a pile of random topics about the Celtics from you. We’re going to answer them without knowing what they are in advance right now on the Lockdown Celtics podcast. Uh-huh. Yep. Yep. Be ready. It’s the season. Who else could it be? What they going to say now? Screaming like JT coral recept every game, every practice. Prime Time Deon T White on the sideline. Rain and Jace. How we started raising business. How we finish locked on Celtics, home of the winners, baby. Hey there. Welcome back to the Lockdown Celtics podcast right here on the Lock On podcast network. It’s your team every day. And your team is the Boston Celtics. I talk about them every day right here Monday through Friday for the rest of this month. Three days a week for August and September, then back to five days a week for the rest of the season, the entire season and all of that. So, make sure you’re subscribed. Wherever you get your podcast, it’s free everywhere. It’s on YouTube. Get into the comment section. Share your thoughts with me. I’m John Corales, beat writer for Boston Sports Journal. I’ve been doing a version of covering the Celtics for 20 years now. I’ve also written a couple of books. So, I just love talking about the Boston Celtics. Today’s show is brought to you by Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, use the code lockdown NBA for $20 off your first purchase. Today, this is how it works. I got flashcards. I asked you for a whole I got the whole pile. Play put it the uh There you go. That’s what they sound like for people listening on the podcast. Uh I draw them randomly and I will answer them along with Tom Westerhome. Tom is celebrating a birthday today. Everybody sing along. Happy birthday. Yeah. You’ll get charged a lot of money. Don’t do that. No, it’s free now. Oh, no way. Yeah, but we got to make but if just in case, we got to make sure that it’s maybe we just make up a song. It’s like, “Hey, it’s your birthday and you’re getting older now, but not as old as me.” But I’m going to pretend we’re the same age because I’ve got issues. Hey, Tom. Thanks, man. All right. All right. We got to get started because somebody was somebody complained about skipping five minutes into the show to get uh things. No longer allowed to have fun, Tom. So, I’m gonna cry about it. So, people random. These could be anything. The they’re random topics in here. Serious Celtics topics. Random fun Celtics topics. I don’t know what Well, I did write them down, but I don’t know what’s coming up. So, we draw them. And here we go. Right away. Jason Tatum’s wrist. Interesting topic. He’s It’s a recurring thing. Obviously, he’s recovering a lot, you know, for for what, eight, nine, 10 months, maybe more from the Achilles injury. The wrist, he’s I I’ve seen that wrist wrapped, I don’t know, almost every day of his career for the past three years, it feels like um no notice of any surgery on the wrist. It feels like it’s one of those things that just it will never heal during the season if he hurts it. I don’t know if it’s the same thing that keeps getting hurt, but as far as I know, I see him working out. He posts the videos. He’s he’s got like the kettle bells and he’s using them and it feels like he the wrist seems okay. Uh any concern about the wrist, Tom? No. And in fact, I think that I think that that’s kind of I mean there’s there’s not many positives to, you know, uh like an injury like the one he suffered, but like if you wanted to kind of look at a little bit of a silver lining, it’s like, well, hey, last year, right, he spent the entire season playing basketball and then he spent the entire summer playing basketball and then he spent the entire season again playing basketball. And if you know any ding to your wrist, it wasn’t you weren’t you weren’t getting a lot of time off. he wasn’t getting a lot of time off to let that thing heal up at all. I I think that there is I mean even these guys who are so optimized to do physical things, everybody’s got a you know a thing like an an area on their body that’s troublesome sometimes, right? Like like you know for me it’s my left knee like you know sucks. Hate my left knee but uh it is what it is and like everybody’s got stuff like that. So for Tatum it might, you know, the wrist might just be something that’s troublesome. But I think that when he comes back, that is one kind of nice thing is like, hey, that wrist has a whole year almost to recuperate, like a lot of time to to kind of rest and and not actually play basketball. So I would love it if there was any if if a doctor was like, “Hey, look, we could operate, we could not operate.” Like just if if there is any just do it now. Just do it. let it heal it. We haven’t heard anything. Everything he said is like it’s not it’s not that big of a deal. So, I’m just going to take his word for it. People around him probably would say the same thing. Like, look, dude, you’re you’re already healing, you know, one one thing just to heal the other thing and like let’s just move on. So, but as of right now, no concern point and I have no idea if this is how this works because I am not a doctor. Um, do do you want your body trying to heal two different things at the same time or do you want your body really I don’t know if focused whatever on the massive injury that could be career altering? I understand that. I feel like the body will get around especially Jason Tatum’s body can can heal two things at once probably. U all right moving on. Pritchard’s passing. Pton Pritchard’s passing of the basketball. People love to say, “Oh, Pritchard’s passing. I didn’t know he was sick.” Uh, Pton Pritchard’s passing ability, uh, is, you know, we don’t think of him as a passer just I mean, he’s a shooter. I see him as a shooter, uh, a scorer, a bucket getter, as it were. um he uh has improved tremendously on his drives, but has I think improved his passing. I one of the things this upcoming season will have to be like an improved passing ability for Pritchard. So I think I think you know in his crazy summer workouts where he’s, you know, guys are are bleeding all over the place apparently if you follow his his social media. Uh, part of that’s going to have to be like understanding the openings that you create aren’t always going to be for yourself. Like he’s going to have to this is going to have to be like the best year of Pritchard’s career if the Celtics are going to get a lot of these wins that we were talking about yesterday. So passing, look, anybody on that team right now that can become a a draw multiple players and find find open guys kind of player. that that would help because it’s Jaylen who can do it, Derek who can definitely do it. If Pritchard can be a third guy who does it, then that just improves. Luca Garza looks a lot better. You know, these these guys on the perimeter, whoever ends up out in the perimeter, Hower, Shyman, those guys all end up looking better. Yeah, it’s kind of funny, right? Because it’s like the things like Pritchard is such a workaholic and you like the things that he has improved and the things that he has worked on so much are like the things that like you know you can do obsessively on your own because like you can’t find anybody to do a sixth hour of workouts with you, right? So it’s like he’s got this like incredibly tight handle. He is a a really great shooter. It’s like passing is something that like it’s it’s hard to work on passing on your own. You can’t really do it. you have to uh passing has to come. So, it’s it’s just kind of funny to me that that he’s Yeah. He’s this guy who who like you know is is just in his garage just you know dribbling dribbling dribbling dribbling dribbling dribbling and you know like you know his passing not necessarily uh not necessarily one of his one of his biggest strengths. I think that it will be fine. I mean he he poops all the time and like he’s he’s been a point guard his whole life. Like he’ll be fine I think. Uh but yeah, I mean it the things that show with him are the things that he’s been able to just work and obsessively work and work and work and work and work on um even when nobody else is in the building. Yeah, it’s that that’s something that definitely comes from playing. You know, you have to scrimmage. You can you can work on shooting drills. You can work on dribbling drills. Like you said, you got to scrimmage and and I’m sure he will. I’m sure he will. But the only thing I I’ll lean on is Jason Tatum obviously who is a much better player, but Tatum was not a passer. Yeah. And has become a really good passer. I mean, he’s still I don’t think if you if you if you’re not a passer by nature. I think passing is kind of like almost like musical ability. Like a lot of people can learn music, but there’s the people who feel the music are like the superstars, right? So Luca, his passing is just because he feels it, right? LeBron feels it like these these guys who who really can set up those guys feel it. You can still become a good passer, but like I can I can pick up the piano and be like, “Oh, okay. I’ll I’ll I’ll figure it out and be okay. But there are some people who are like, “Oh, it’s like the the Charlie Kelly uh you know, in in Always Sunny where he’s I don’t know if anybody remembers the scene where he’s like, “Oh, yeah, man. Keyboards. I just get them, man. They speak to me.” Like that that’s that’s a different level. Yeah. Well, but I will say I think that one of the most impressive I know this was supposed to be a Pritchard passing thing, but one of the more impressive things about Tatum’s passing improving the way it has is that he’s gotten a lot closer to that savant level passing than most people can get without that gene, right? Like he’s sure Yeah. How like he’s he’s gotten so much closer to that. Very impressive because Yeah. I mean his passing Yeah. Sure. It’s not that kind of instinctive um you know like Mozart Beethoven type passing, but it’s it’s closer than you would expect. Well, here my my final point and about that will be I think it’s it’s just teaching Tatum, hey, you’ve created these openings. Here’s something else you can do with it. He is elite at creating the openings and creating situations. This is just like, hey, just do all the same stuff you do, except understand like if you tweak what you do this way and just do what you normally do, but just push it in this direction, you can now see the floor and you can now make these plays. And you know, instead of crossing over and splitting the double team, you take a dribble back, draw the double team, and now you’ve got openings. So like just take all the stuff that you do, all the attention you get, and just instead of A, do B, and the another world opens up for you. And so I think I think that’s what makes and and look, Pritchard Pritchard to a lesser degree I think can get there. Um, same concept, same everything. It’s just not the same talent level. But yeah, I think I think he has the ability to do that. All right. Sure. For sure. Let’s uh head into the break. We’ll chew on this question here. Best fits. Oh, that’s this is this pess fist for the Celtics in the draft. Uh that we’ll we’ll pass that. Uh Ugo Gonzalez. Ugo Gonzalez. All right, let’s go like this. And I think uh wild card Amari Williams. Could be. Could be. Let’s watch out for that kid, Matt Schilogga. I think he’d be a good fit. All right, let’s do this one. Jason Tatum versus Jaylen Brown’s shoes. Let’s do a little shoe debate when we come back on the Locked On Celtics podcast. Today’s show is brought to you by Game Time. Game Time is going to let you get into the building at the last minute. You’ve just said, “Hey, you know what? I do want to go see the Red Sox game.” Or maybe a team that you’re not a red you’re not a Red Sox fan but you’re in Boston. Your favorite other team is coming into town or a player you like to go see. Or maybe you just want to go to a concert, a comedy show, a a a play, anything. If there’s tickets and they’re on sale online, Game Time can get you in with great price. I have used Game Time multiple times. I’ve said a bunch. I have gone to Red’s house games. 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I’m recording that podcast after we’re done here after summer league Cooper Flags summer league debut. That’s going to be a big topic on Lock IBA game night with me and Jake Madison. So, if you’re interested in Cooper Flags debut and wild massive overreactions, he’s either going to be a complete bust or the greatest things in sliced bread. That’s I don’t think there’s any in between. So, check us out there on the Lockdown NBA game night podcast. Uh I I I have a a feeling, Tom, that the uh the Cooper Flag kid is gonna be okay. He’s gonna be pretty good. I think he’s gonna be okay. Uh think I think he might have a good summer league with the uh I mean it’s we’re the only ones bold enough to go there. I mean, shout out to the to the people writing it in the asking us like, “Do you guys think Cooper Flag is going to be good?” Because it really sets us up to to take make these bold takes. That’s right. Uh, let’s get bold about shoes. Yeah. Jason Tatum’s Air Jordans versus Jaylen Brown’s uh, what does he call those things? Uh, I should know the seven 74 741. What’s the Rovers? Yes, Rovers. Yeah. Yeah, the Rovers. Um, do you have a preference uh on either? I’ve not worn either shoe. So, that’s the that was what I would I was going to put that massive disclaimer on this that I I can’t say that I like have any experience with either of them. I don’t know. I’ve thought about getting Tatum’s shoes. Um, and I actually saw a deal on them recently that made me uh consider it even more. Um, but so I might be able to report back at some point. Um, I I will say though, I think the I know it’s not technically DIY, but like the the more DIY aesthetic of Jaylen’s shoes makes them a little cooler to me. I I like I think I like the way Tatums look more, but I just like if you’re putting one up against the other. Listen, I I personally I think like that whole big baller brand thing scared me away from like player created shoes where I’m like I think I’ll just get the Nikes that I know like, you know, I don’t know. But I do I I like, you know, the concept of like, hey, I want to make my own shoes. I want to do my own thing. Like I Yeah, I’m with it. I think that’s cool. Yeah. So obviously the Tatums are more polished. They have teams of multi-million. You know, it’s the Jordan brand, right? So there’s I I think look this it’s I’ve always liked like the crazy looking shoes. Yeah. Um I had the um the Shan Kemp kamicazis. They had a similar aesthetic to the the Jason Tatum shoes. So there is something some of that that’s drawn me to it. So, yes, the aesthetic I think is cleaner there. I think Jaylen, this is a first attempt. And I’m I’m looking for as it progresses, like the second or third version is going to be, I think, a much cleaner, nicer look. Um, so they’re still finding themselves there. All I can tell you is uh the people like Jaylen uh gave Pritchard Pritchard before he signed with Converse, he he wore those and he’s like I asked them, you know, privately, I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn here, right, when he was saying like, “Oh, they’re really comfortable. I really like them.” Um he wore them without getting paid to wear them. So, he liked them. A couple of guys on the team, I think Jordan Walsh was wearing them. Uh, so the guys who have worn them, the people I’ve I’ve seen talk about wearing them like like they’re comfortable. They’re they’re legit. Um, so I think and and the same thing about the Tatsums cuz Tatums I I do know that they have like a little almost like a little suspended between the the sole and the B. There’s like a little kind of cushion there. So it I think that helps the foot kind of move. The technology involved in all of these sneakers is so crazy. Um, that I I remember the crap that I used to wear, you know, when I was playing and it’s like that which was miles ahead of the Converse, you know, Chuck Taylor’s the guys used to wear in the NBA. But I I think aesthetically I’m leaning Jason Tatum. But I do applaud Jaylen for, you know what, taking on himself and and making it and making like a kids version of the the shoe. much deeper. Uh, so I I I’m looking forward to see where that goes. I I’m I’m just a big fan of Jaylen Brown kind of like showing like you can do this yourself and and empowering and he’s he’s having a great summer throughout Boston doing a lot of work at MIT and and just showing showing kids like you can you can be, you know, your own entrepreneur and and and do it yourself. So I I appreciate it. Yeah. I think I think it’s cool too to have like to have like kind of his own he’s trying he’s doing his own thing, you know what I Like it’s very much like hey any guy like a lot of players are going to go out get their own signature shoe get like you know the the dream is to get your own signature shoe get colorways get all this stuff like yeah you could do all that stuff and like you know I don’t know like I don’t know if Jaylen would get a signature shoe I don’t know if like if he was like signed to Nike or Adidas or something but hey like you can just kind of do it your own way like I don’t know I think that’s cool. So yeah uh just so people who have seen me on the video I did burn a card. with Celtics draft strategy. Of course, that never made it in before the draft. Now, all of a sudden, after the draft, we’re getting all the draft questions. Okay. Uh oh, this is this is a good one. Long-term future center. I don’t know that the long-term future center exists on this team right now. Um I don’t think Well, you know, look, I I’m going to leave open the possibility that the Celtics hit on Amari Williams just because we haven’t seen it. Um, I’m not going to hold out too much hope for the bottom of the second round, but also we’ve seen a lot of great players and useful players get picked there. So, I’m not going to just write him off. Sure. Um, is he the long-term answer at center? I don’t know. We’re going to start to see if if if that’s the case, but my my feeling is that they’re going to they’re still on the search. They’re still have to figure out who their long-term future center is. Is it a trade? They One of the big things that I think coming out of the Second Apron is when the Celtics get far enough underneath now, now you can bring back more salary and you can aggregate players in trades. So if Anthony Simons does get moved, you can put Simons and Nyang and another salary together to match. Now, is that going to be enough to get a a player of of, you know, starting center caliber? I don’t know. Um I think Anthony Simons went for Drew Holiday for a reason. Not to no disrespect to Drew, but you know, a 36y old guard with, you know, some some injuries clearly and three years and hundred million dollars left on his contract. Like, that’s not a huge return for a guy that as young as Simon. I don’t think the Celtics are going to get their future guy, but moneywise, they can use that, attach it to somebody and potentially get their long-term center. I I just don’t think that that player exists on the Celtics right now, and it may have to be a trade of some sort. Yeah, I don’t have a lot to add to that, but I would say that I I I would I’ll be interested to see if they decide that that’s a this year project or a next summer project. Um, I could kind of see it both ways. Uh, we’ve talked about the soft tank and I think not making that move this summer is a would be a pretty strong soft tank kind of decision. So, we’ll see. You may want you may want to let um Simons play. And I’m not big into, oh, you got to feature this guy. But yeah, because I think I think it’s an overrated concept. Everybody scouts these guys. People know the player that Anthony Simons is. Yes. However, in this particular case, not to go all arrested development. It might work for us, but because he’s on a new team in a new situation, new coach, uh, better players team. I want to say the motivations are a little bit different, but it’s it’s just a different situation. There is a chance that he can play a certain way where people go, “Oh, okay. Okay, may maybe it was a Portland thing and not a Simons thing.” So, there is some value to letting that kind of play out a little bit. I say that as I’m sure now Brad Steven’s going to pull off a trade in the next like but as soon as we’re recording early. He’ll have a he’ll have a trade pulled off by 70. I suddenly have the need to open up my Twitter notification just to see the Sham’s tweet. Oh, and he’s the first one, too. Um, oh no, it’s the Phoenix Suns making a coaching hire. Way to way to mess with me. All right, let’s let’s take a second here and we go similar. Improving bench depth. We’re going to come back. We’ll take a quick second here. Improving bench depth. When we come back, thanks for making Lockdown Celtics your first listen every day. Make sure you remember that the schedule is changing. So you everydayers, you Monday through Friday folks, thank you so much for being with the show Monday through Friday. I love the fact that you’re you’re still with me every Monday through Friday. I see you. I see you in the comment section. Thank you so much. Beginning of August, 3 days a week for all of August, all of September, the kind of like the dead period. And then October through the, you know, next July, five days a week, plus bonus podcasts on on times where they play and all of that stuff. Not bonus podcasts unless something crazy happens in summer league. We can cover summer league on the Monday show. They play Friday afternoon at 4. So, uh, no full podcast. Maybe a little reaction video, but nothing crazy. Uh, so that’s the schedule. I do appreciate everybody kind of sticking with us as as the summer rolls on. Okay, Tom. Improving bench depth. I think I think that’s kind of what we’re starting to see a little bit. As I’ve as I’ve said before, I feel like Brad Stevens is is hitting all the clearance racks. you got you got a couple of good suits and no more money. So now you’re going to the clearance racks to find your shirts, your ties, your belts, your shoes, and see if you can find anything that that kind of works with the suits that you have. Um, and that’s the plan to improve bench depth for at least the next few years because there is going to be a point at some point here in the not too distant future that they’re going to have to go full rebuild. We talk about soft tank and call call this a build according to Brad Stevens, but a full-on rebuild where Tatum is gone and Jaylen is gone and we’re going full Utah Jazz. That’s down the road. Until that happens, I think the Celtics are trying to maximize the primes of Tatum and Brown and just finding can Garza, can Minot, can can the next versions of those guys come in and thrive in a different situation, right? Yeah. and and you know your Baylor Shymans, right? Like your That’s right. your other guys Exactly. Yep. So I I think those are that that’s the target to me and I mean that’s that’s what we’re about to get a look at, right? is is are are can these guys do it in summer league because um that I think yeah I I think I think those guys that’s the biggest value that you could get out of a of a Baylor Shyman or or somebody like that where it’s like if you picked up somebody in the draft that’s cost controlled that that’s not that you know isn’t going to cost you a ton over the next couple years the value in that is just going to go through the roof um on a on a team that’s as expensive as and as and as kind of capped as this team is okay. So, we’ve that’s kind of like the tone of all of our podcast. So, I think that’s enough enough said there. We’re going to go like rapid fire here. Okay. This is kind of like we talked about yesterday. Joe Missoula, good and bad this season. Um I assume I don’t know. Joe I wrote that down. Joe Missoula good and bad this season. Maybe from this past season. The good and the bad from this past season. Um okay. I’ll look I I think obviously I think very highly about Joe Misula. I think the good stuff is I I do like I do like the approach. I do think that the you know with with what he had the elite players that he had you had to kind of like let them be themselves. Um, the bad I think would I I just wish he could have found a way to get them to just do those other little things. The like Brad talked about like, oh, Gonzalez is a great cutter and this to the point where like when the Celtics actually cut, I would tweet something during the game like, oh, a cut and a score. It’s my it’s my one peeve about this team. It’s not the three-pointers. It’s not. It’s that they don’t take advantage of those openings enough. And I think it’s because they are just so talented that they’re like, I don’t need to cut. I just need to get the ball and let me do my thing. And I think that’s like a byproduct of having so much talent on your team. I just I just wish that that Joe could have found a way to get those guys to do those little things and understand like, yes, you’re you’re Jaylen Brown. Yes, you’re Derek White, but like also those are easy buckets. And if it’s, you know, Jason Tatum, too, like those guys, I I just wish they would have done those little tiny things a little bit more because then those habits would have shown up against New York and I think that would have helped a lot. Yeah, I think that I think those are fair. I think um I for my good I mean I think he’s done a really good job of of like balancing things, right? I think he’s done it like I think he did a really good job of trying to balance like okay Porzingis needs a bunch of time off. How do how do we get him as much time off as he needs, you know, like like I I think that there was you know the Celtics need to focus on winning but then also like understand that like they’ve played a lot of basketball and they’re about to play a lot of basketball. thought he did a pretty good job of just managing all of the big picture stuff that spanned the last two seasons of, you know, championship contending teams. That’s that’s not easy to do. That’s very difficult to do as a coach. I thought he the the job he did balancing was good. Um, as far as bad goes, this isn’t like a real bad, but do you think do you think he’s starting to like lean into the the whole Joe Mazoula bit a little bit more? Like do you think he’s like starting to do it on purpose? Because at first it never seemed it was just like it seemed like he was just kind of like you know a little bit of a maniac and now it starts to seem like I don’t know is he I want to do a situation room with the the bin Laden like I think I think he says certain things just to like see how people react to them and he just um I do think there’s a little bit of a bit going on. Yeah. But I think what’s really actually happening is Joe is is a little bit more comfortable showing who he is. And he wasn’t com he was not comfortable with that in in year one. He was more comfortable with that in year two. And now I think he just he’s like, you know what, I’m just going to be myself. And I think he is a little bit of a lunatic. Yeah. Um, you know, I just you follow like his wife on Instagram and you just see like every once in a while she’s like, “Oh, here’s another crazy workout toy that my husband got or like she’ll she’ll just show like little bits of Joe.” And you’re like, “No, he’s this is who he is and he’s just a little bit more comfortable doing it.” Like he’s showing up on podcasts now. I know he he’s done this one, but like he’s he’s on Jul Julian Edelman’s uh he was on uh was it Pardon My Take a couple of times. Like he loves those guys. Like he’s he’s I think he is just a little bit more comfortable being out there. I love that then. All right. No, perfect coach. No, no, let’s I’m going to do one more here. I shouldn’t, but I’m going to just Okay. H this is a little more serious than I wanted to end. Actually, this is more worried. Jaylen’s near or Jason’s Achilles. Obviously Jason’s Achilles is the answer, you know. So that’s Okay, let’s see if we can get a fun one to end on here. Uh, can Pritchard start at point guard in 26? Uh, 26 27 or 256 25 26. Can he start at point guard? I’m gonna say no because it’s Derrick Whites. I think it’s Derek, but I don’t know. He could he could. Um, I don’t think he’s going to be the full-time starter. Okay. What do you think? I think he’s going to start. You think it’s gonna be Pritchard, White, Jaylen, Jaylen at the three? Yeah. And then Yeah, maybe. Maybe. I think I mean I think you just There’s There’s teams where you can get by with having a superior player on the bench because you’ve got some depth and then like that guy boosts your bench or whatever. I don’t think this is that team. I think I do think they need the bench though. I I’ I think I’d rather see Derek. I’d rather see Derek, Jaylen, Sam, and then figure out your four five because you you still need somebody to come off the B. I because Okay, I’ll put it to you this way. Yeah, you need Pritchard to come in four minutes into the game to sub out Derek White and then you need Derek White to sub out Jaylen and then alternate. So, I think you’re going to need Pritchard. I think you’re going to need that ball. You’re gonna have to stagger those two as your ball handlers. So, um, so that’s why I think Pritchard, can he? Can he? To answer the question, yes, he can. Yeah. Yeah. Can uh will he? I don’t think he will because of the substitution patterns. Uh, all right. Real real dad answer to end it there. I can, but I won’t. May you? May you? Can you? Can you? You sure? Can you? May you? I don’t know. All right. Yeah, that’s a good place to end it. So, all right, Tom. Thank you so much. Appreciate you, man. Appreciate Tom Wester home there. Uh, happy birthday to Tom. Tom celebrating a birthday that’s in the 30s that uh I don’t care to get specific. I’m shutting his mic off so he doesn’t brag about being that much younger than me. That’s okay. I’m much more immature than he is, so I make up for that. Uh, thank you so much for submitting these. I still have a big stack here, but if anybody wants to add more, you can tweet me uh on on Twitter or on Blue Sky. Uh, you can find me there. just search my name and uh send me some more topics. That’s fine. I’ll I’ll work those in as we get into maybe I should just solicit those because it’s the summer and we’re going to need to get some more relevant questions in. But thank you all. I hope you enjoy. The whole point of this is to be random and you know not know what we’re talking about. It’s a little freelance or a little freestyle. So appreciate you being here listening being here with me five days a week uh three days a week starting August and September. So make sure you’re subscribed regardless. Get into the comment section on YouTube. Share your thoughts there and then share the podcast with everybody. Tell them they should be listening to and watching the Lockdown Celtics podcast. Here on the Lockdown Podcast Network, it’s your team every day.

Jayson Tatum’s wrist injury: A blessing in disguise? The Celtics star’s extended break could be the key to unlocking his full potential.

Host John Karalis and guest Tom Westerholm dissect the Celtics’ roster, from Tatum’s recovery to Payton Pritchard’s passing skills in today’s Flashcard Friday episode. They analyze Joe Mazzulla’s coaching approach, debate the team’s future at center, and strategize on bolstering bench depth. The duo also explores how the Celtics can balance their star-studded lineup with cost-effective talent.

Tune in for insider perspectives on the Celtics’ crucial decisions that could shape their season.

1:30 Intro: Flashcard Friday on Locked On Celtics
2:22 Jayson Tatum’s wrist injury and recovery
5:31 Payton Pritchard’s passing ability needs improvement
10:27 Comparing Tatum and Brown’s signature shoes
16:08 Long-term future center for the Celtics
22:21 Improving bench depth through bargain acquisitions
26:28 Joe Mazzulla’s strengths and weaknesses as coach
31:09 Can Pritchard start at point guard in 2026?

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Locked On Celtics is a daily Boston Celtics podcast by Boston Sports Journal beat writer John Karalis. It’s an inside look at the C’s from a former professional basketball player who is at practices & games.

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