Sports

Pritchard’s Eye Injury Clears Before Charlotte Game, Tatum Returns from Achilles Rehab

By Arthur Hill

Celtics guard Payton Pritchard left Wednesday’s game after a right eye abrasion that impaired his vision, but the problem resolved in time for him to play in the Friday night matchup against Charlotte, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive. Pritchard, who has missed only five games in the past three seasons, said the abrasion made it difficult to track the rim and forced him to leave the court. "I just couldn’t see, so my vision was very like, I don’t know how to explain it, but couldn’t track the rim when it happened and stuff," he explained. He added that the issue did not return and he was able to play the next game.

Earlier in the week, Pritchard was listed on the injury report with a right shoulder contusion, but he said he feels fine and considers it part of the wear and tear of an NBA season. He also noted the Celtics’ slow start and said the team should continue improving as the season progresses. "I don’t think we’ve hit peak form at all. We’re record-wise solid, but we’re just sitting the surface," he said.

Jayson Tatum missed Wednesday’s game in Milwaukee but returned to score 34 points on Friday night. The 34‑point outing came after a season‑long recovery from an Achilles tear. Tatum said he is getting closer to his pre‑injury form. "I’m getting there. How I felt before I got hurt — I felt really, really good. I don’t feel like too far. I’ve still only played less than 40 games since I’ve been back. Still in the ‘rehab phase’ of return‑to‑play. I still got a little ways to go to get back to feeling the best I’ve ever felt. We’re going to get there, though," he said.

In a subscriber‑only piece, Christopher L. Gasper of The Boston Globe speculated that if the Bucks had accepted the Celtics’ offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo, the feud between Jaylen Brown and Tatum might have been avoided. Gasper suggested that Brown could have been moved to a rebuilding Milwaukee team and become its centerpiece, eliminating the conflict that ultimately led to Brown’s trade to the Sixers. Brown and Tatum will face each other for the first regular‑season meeting on Tuesday night in Philadelphia.

In a mailbag column (subscription required), Terada discussed the possibility that Paul George could decline his $56.6 million player option next summer and sign a new contract at a lower annual salary. He noted that staying in Boston would give George a solid chance to win a title before retiring.