Thanks to an offseason rule change, Payton Pritchard impressions have become more common around the NBA this season.
The league decided this summer to no longer count end-of-quarter heaves against players’ shooting percentage. That’s made shooters more likely to attempt those long-range prayers — and, according to Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, changed the way teams need to defend them.
Tuesday night in Philadelphia, Boston let Quentin Grimes get free for a 37-footer that beat the third-quarter buzzer. The low-percentage make cut the Celtics’ lead from nine points to six in a game they went on to lose 102-100.
Mazzulla brought that play up during Friday’s practice to drive home the importance of not relenting at the end of quarters.
“Today, we talked about Grimes’ heave at the end of the quarter,” Mazzulla said. “End-of-quarter heaves, now that the rule has changed, are just as important as the last play of the game, because it can decide that. So we have to guard the heaves just as well as we have to guard the last possession of the game. That’s just as important.”
The Celtics also eased up on a pre-halftime heave by Cedric Coward in Wednesday’s blowout win over the Grizzlies. Though Coward missed, Mazzulla’s point stood.
“People will look past that possession and focus on the last two minutes of a game, but guarding a heave is just as important as the last two possessions of the fourth quarter,” Mazzulla said. “In two games, we didn’t guard it the way we need to, and that’s part of the process. Every possession matters.”
Improving their crunch-time execution also is a point of emphasis for the Celtics. As of Friday, Boston ranked 25th in point differential and 28th in net rating in clutch situations, defined as the final five minutes of regulation and overtime when the score is within five points.
The Celtics are 1-3 in one-possession games this season, squandering fourth-quarter leads in narrow losses to the 76ers (twice) and Jazz.
“That’s what makes or breaks teams at times, the ability to win in those close games,” Mazzulla said.
Tatum rehab update
Reporters caught a glimpse of Jayson Tatum’s recovery process Friday as he works his way back from Achilles surgery.
After practice, the injured Celtics superstar went through a round of agility drills — including high knees, skips and one-footed diagonal jumps — then did some stationary shooting while assistant coaches rebounded for him.
It’s unclear when Tatum will be ready to resume full-speed drills and begin practicing with a team — Celtics decision-makers have repeatedly declined to set a timetable for his return — but he’s shown no visible limitations in his recent on-court work.
Outside of his rehab, Tatum has attended nearly every Celtics game this season, home and road, and served as a de facto extra coach on the bench, according to center Neemias Queta.
“He’s been on me from the moment I got here in Boston,” Queta said. “We’ve been able to build that relationship. He’s always trying to help me figure out what I can do better, figure out how I can get my teammates open. Just trying to be a kind of coach, so to speak, as he can’t play right now. But I feel like he’s been one of the most vocal guys, and he’s always trying to lead us.”
Early-season surprise
Asked whether any new teammates have surprised them through the first 13 games, Sam Hauser and Queta both mentioned Josh Minott.
“Josh is kind of funny,” Hauser said. “He’s a little bit of a wild card, but he’s a funny dude, like just high energy, as you can tell on the court, that’s kind of how he is off court, too. Cool dude, though. That’s just the beauty of having a lot of new guys to get to know a lot of different personalities and see how it works together.”
Minott, who exclusively came off the bench during his three seasons in Minnesota, made nine consecutive starts for Boston before being leapfrogged by Jordan Walsh on Wednesday. He and Walsh both have made an impact as high-energy defenders this season while also providing occasional offensive upside.
“I’d say Josh’s versatility (was surprising),” Queta said. “He can do a little bit of everything on the court. He can defend at a high level. He can rebound. He can pass the ball. He can get down there and score, too. So a little bit of everything from him.”
As for Walsh, who’s played the best basketball of his three-year NBA career over the last week-plus, Hauser said he’s loved seeing the young wing finally break through.
After failing to crack Mazzulla’s rotation in Years 1 and 2, the 21-year-old has played at least 18 minutes in five straight games and handled daunting defensive assignments against the likes of Tyrese Maxey, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Paolo Banchero.
“It’s been great to see him get his chance, get his opportunity, and take full advantage of it,” Hauser said. “You know, when he first got here, he spent a lot of time in the G League, working on his game, getting better. He was so young. People forget he was 19 as a rookie. When I was 19, I definitely wasn’t ready to be a professional. So credit to him to put the work in, ask questions to vets, watch film, to learn and get better each and every day. And you’ve sometimes just got to wait your turn. He’s waited his turn, and now he’s taking full advantage of it. It’s been cool to see.”
Off the rim
Drake Maye referenced his recent visit to a Celtics game after Thursday night’s Patriots win. Maye and left tackle Will Campbell sat courtside at Boston’s home loss to the Jazz on Nov. 3. “I was at the Celtics game the other day,” New England’s MVP-candidate quarterback said after leading the 9-2 Pats past the Jets. “You see somebody miss a shot, and they come back and shoot another one. That’s just kind of the mindset. Shooters shoot, and that’s what my mentality is.”