Why is Payton Pritchard rotting away on the bench ?

[Silas]

It's remarkable how much of Boston's rotation was drafted by Danny Ainge.

Horford, Theis, and White were acquired in trade. Everyone else was added by Danny's management team in the draft. At this point, Boston's 10th man, Aaron Nesmith, was also acquired by Ainge in the draft. Whether he'll be in the playoff rotation or not is uncertain at this point, although for the next few games at least we can expect that he'll get some run.

I think, btw, that Nesmith is currently undervalued by fans; that he's got the skills to crack the rotation; and that there's a slot available for him as the third wing.

I don't disagree.  The only question I have is if Ime sticks with an 8/9-man rotation, who would get bumped?  Theis, Grant, White, or Payton?  I would guess that it would be Theis, unless either Al or Rob can't play. 

[wdleehi]

It's remarkable how much of Boston's rotation was drafted by Danny Ainge.

Horford, Theis, and White were acquired in trade. Everyone else was added by Danny's management team in the draft. At this point, Boston's 10th man, Aaron Nesmith, was also acquired by Ainge in the draft. Whether he'll be in the playoff rotation or not is uncertain at this point, although for the next few games at least we can expect that he'll get some run.

I think, btw, that Nesmith is currently undervalued by fans; that he's got the skills to crack the rotation; and that there's a slot available for him as the third wing.

I would still consider Theis a Boston/Ainge find since they brought him over to the NBA.

[Hoopvortex]

It's remarkable how much of Boston's rotation was drafted by Danny Ainge.

Horford, Theis, and White were acquired in trade. Everyone else was added by Danny's management team in the draft. At this point, Boston's 10th man, Aaron Nesmith, was also acquired by Ainge in the draft. Whether he'll be in the playoff rotation or not is uncertain at this point, although for the next few games at least we can expect that he'll get some run.

I think, btw, that Nesmith is currently undervalued by fans; that he's got the skills to crack the rotation; and that there's a slot available for him as the third wing.

I would still consider Theis a Boston/Ainge find since they brought him over to the NBA.

You could even add Al Horford, since it was Ainge who signed him as a free agent. You might say that of Boston's 1-10, only Derrick White has no Ainge fingerprints on him.

[Surferdad]

It's remarkable how much of Boston's rotation was drafted by Danny Ainge.

Horford, Theis, and White were acquired in trade. Everyone else was added by Danny's management team in the draft. At this point, Boston's 10th man, Aaron Nesmith, was also acquired by Ainge in the draft. Whether he'll be in the playoff rotation or not is uncertain at this point, although for the next few games at least we can expect that he'll get some run.

I think, btw, that Nesmith is currently undervalued by fans; that he's got the skills to crack the rotation; and that there's a slot available for him as the third wing.

I don't disagree.  The only question I have is if Ime sticks with an 8/9-man rotation, who would get bumped?  Theis, Grant, White, or Payton?  I would guess that it would be Theis, unless either Al or Rob can't play.

I don't see a scenario where Nesmith cracks the playoff rotation, as long as Grant/White/Pritchard continue to play well.

[Hoopvortex]

It's remarkable how much of Boston's rotation was drafted by Danny Ainge.

Horford, Theis, and White were acquired in trade. Everyone else was added by Danny's management team in the draft. At this point, Boston's 10th man, Aaron Nesmith, was also acquired by Ainge in the draft. Whether he'll be in the playoff rotation or not is uncertain at this point, although for the next few games at least we can expect that he'll get some run.

I think, btw, that Nesmith is currently undervalued by fans; that he's got the skills to crack the rotation; and that there's a slot available for him as the third wing.

I don't disagree.  The only question I have is if Ime sticks with an 8/9-man rotation, who would get bumped?  Theis, Grant, White, or Payton?  I would guess that it would be Theis, unless either Al or Rob can't play.

Possibly. Ime is giving Horford a pretty light load right now; you'd think that with TL unavailable Horford's minutes would go up, but instead Daniel's did.

But I think that the signs are pointing toward low rotation minutes for Theis, so a 9-man rotation is most likely. Even with Rob playing, Theis got a couple of 20+ minutes games on this recent road trip.

[Hoopvortex]

It's remarkable how much of Boston's rotation was drafted by Danny Ainge.

Horford, Theis, and White were acquired in trade. Everyone else was added by Danny's management team in the draft. At this point, Boston's 10th man, Aaron Nesmith, was also acquired by Ainge in the draft. Whether he'll be in the playoff rotation or not is uncertain at this point, although for the next few games at least we can expect that he'll get some run.

I think, btw, that Nesmith is currently undervalued by fans; that he's got the skills to crack the rotation; and that there's a slot available for him as the third wing.

I don't disagree.  The only question I have is if Ime sticks with an 8/9-man rotation, who would get bumped?  Theis, Grant, White, or Payton?  I would guess that it would be Theis, unless either Al or Rob can't play.

I don't see a scenario where Nesmith cracks the playoff rotation, as long as Grant/White/Pritchard continue to play well.

I'd agree that it's unlikely, given the time left. However, he does have a narrow window, now that he can play, in which to make his case.

[Celtics2021]

It's remarkable how much of Boston's rotation was drafted by Danny Ainge.

Horford, Theis, and White were acquired in trade. Everyone else was added by Danny's management team in the draft. At this point, Boston's 10th man, Aaron Nesmith, was also acquired by Ainge in the draft. Whether he'll be in the playoff rotation or not is uncertain at this point, although for the next few games at least we can expect that he'll get some run.

I think, btw, that Nesmith is currently undervalued by fans; that he's got the skills to crack the rotation; and that there's a slot available for him as the third wing.

I don't disagree.  The only question I have is if Ime sticks with an 8/9-man rotation, who would get bumped?  Theis, Grant, White, or Payton?  I would guess that it would be Theis, unless either Al or Rob can't play.

I don't see a scenario where Nesmith cracks the playoff rotation, as long as Grant/White/Pritchard continue to play well.

I'd agree that it's unlikely, given the time left. However, he does have a narrow window, now that he can play, in which to make his case.

There are nine games left, and he could only muster a 1-6 shooting night in 14 minutes in Maine last night.  He’s not getting into the rotation, at all.  He’s had all year, and the rotation isn’t going to change for him now.  The best he can do is demonstrate that if an injury occurs that he’s ready to take some minutes, rather than just having the minutes of the injured player spread around those currently in the rotation.

[slamtheking]

It's remarkable how much of Boston's rotation was drafted by Danny Ainge.

Horford, Theis, and White were acquired in trade. Everyone else was added by Danny's management team in the draft. At this point, Boston's 10th man, Aaron Nesmith, was also acquired by Ainge in the draft. Whether he'll be in the playoff rotation or not is uncertain at this point, although for the next few games at least we can expect that he'll get some run.

I think, btw, that Nesmith is currently undervalued by fans; that he's got the skills to crack the rotation; and that there's a slot available for him as the third wing.

I don't disagree.  The only question I have is if Ime sticks with an 8/9-man rotation, who would get bumped?  Theis, Grant, White, or Payton?  I would guess that it would be Theis, unless either Al or Rob can't play.

I don't see a scenario where Nesmith cracks the playoff rotation, as long as Grant/White/Pritchard continue to play well.

I'd agree that it's unlikely, given the time left. However, he does have a narrow window, now that he can play, in which to make his case.

There are nine games left, and he could only muster a 1-6 shooting night in 14 minutes in Maine last night.  He’s not getting into the rotation, at all.  He’s had all year, and the rotation isn’t going to change for him now.  The best he can do is demonstrate that if an injury occurs that he’s ready to take some minutes, rather than just having the minutes of the injured player spread around those currently in the rotation.

have to agree.  barring injuries and foul trouble, Nesmith isn't seeing the court during the playoffs short of an absolute blowout and I mean an absolute blowout like up 30 with just a few minutes to go in which case it's just Ime emptying the bench

[Hoopvortex]

It's remarkable how much of Boston's rotation was drafted by Danny Ainge.

Horford, Theis, and White were acquired in trade. Everyone else was added by Danny's management team in the draft. At this point, Boston's 10th man, Aaron Nesmith, was also acquired by Ainge in the draft. Whether he'll be in the playoff rotation or not is uncertain at this point, although for the next few games at least we can expect that he'll get some run.

I think, btw, that Nesmith is currently undervalued by fans; that he's got the skills to crack the rotation; and that there's a slot available for him as the third wing.

I don't disagree.  The only question I have is if Ime sticks with an 8/9-man rotation, who would get bumped?  Theis, Grant, White, or Payton?  I would guess that it would be Theis, unless either Al or Rob can't play.

If it's a nine-man rotation, then all four of them would be in it.

[Hoopvortex]

It's remarkable how much of Boston's rotation was drafted by Danny Ainge.

Horford, Theis, and White were acquired in trade. Everyone else was added by Danny's management team in the draft. At this point, Boston's 10th man, Aaron Nesmith, was also acquired by Ainge in the draft. Whether he'll be in the playoff rotation or not is uncertain at this point, although for the next few games at least we can expect that he'll get some run.

I think, btw, that Nesmith is currently undervalued by fans; that he's got the skills to crack the rotation; and that there's a slot available for him as the third wing.

I don't disagree.  The only question I have is if Ime sticks with an 8/9-man rotation, who would get bumped?  Theis, Grant, White, or Payton?  I would guess that it would be Theis, unless either Al or Rob can't play.

I don't see a scenario where Nesmith cracks the playoff rotation, as long as Grant/White/Pritchard continue to play well.

I'd agree that it's unlikely, given the time left. However, he does have a narrow window, now that he can play, in which to make his case.

There are nine games left, and he could only muster a 1-6 shooting night in 14 minutes in Maine last night.  He’s not getting into the rotation, at all.  He’s had all year, and the rotation isn’t going to change for him now.  The best he can do is demonstrate that if an injury occurs that he’s ready to take some minutes, rather than just having the minutes of the injured player spread around those currently in the rotation.

have to agree.  barring injuries and foul trouble, Nesmith isn't seeing the court during the playoffs short of an absolute blowout and I mean an absolute blowout like up 30 with just a few minutes to go in which case it's just Ime emptying the bench

I wouldn't be so sure about Nesmith appearing only in case of blowouts. He's the tenth man (I think we can agree on that), so appearances outside of blowouts are actually fairly likely, even if he's not in the rotation.

Looking over various postings around here, there're some varied ideas about just what constitutes a rotation player. The old NBA rule of thumb is that a rotation player is playing a regular role and getting at least ten minutes. That's not in the rulebook, but it's a pretty good guide.

I wouldn't put too much stock in his shooting performance in Maine; the idea was to get him some full-speed minutes to test his mobility and get his legs under him. Hopefully he's pain-free and not swollen today and he'll be ready to go tonight.

[gouki88]

It's remarkable how much of Boston's rotation was drafted by Danny Ainge.

Horford, Theis, and White were acquired in trade. Everyone else was added by Danny's management team in the draft. At this point, Boston's 10th man, Aaron Nesmith, was also acquired by Ainge in the draft. Whether he'll be in the playoff rotation or not is uncertain at this point, although for the next few games at least we can expect that he'll get some run.

I think, btw, that Nesmith is currently undervalued by fans; that he's got the skills to crack the rotation; and that there's a slot available for him as the third wing.

And, Horford was initially an Ainge signing, and Theis was an Ainge pick-up too. Not too shabby

[Hoopvortex]

It's remarkable how much of Boston's rotation was drafted by Danny Ainge.

Horford, Theis, and White were acquired in trade. Everyone else was added by Danny's management team in the draft. At this point, Boston's 10th man, Aaron Nesmith, was also acquired by Ainge in the draft. Whether he'll be in the playoff rotation or not is uncertain at this point, although for the next few games at least we can expect that he'll get some run.

I think, btw, that Nesmith is currently undervalued by fans; that he's got the skills to crack the rotation; and that there's a slot available for him as the third wing.

And, Horford was initially an Ainge signing, and Theis was an Ainge pick-up too. Not too shabby

Yes, not too shabby.

Part of team-building is covering your bets and creating competition. Grant vs. Ojeleye, Pritchard vs. Carsen, Romeo vs. Nesmith.

After all those years of many draft picks, it's not surprising that current management is looking to streamline and consolidate; with any luck the team can now mature together as it enters what I believe Danny Ainge was bottom line attempting: a perennial contender. It's a longer process than buying a Big-3 (the Nets just might become the new poster child for that kind of short-term thinking - oh, wait, they've already been that once!).