The Boston Celtics star has played only 16 games this season, but he's still one of the most marketable players in the NBA.
The Boston Celtics finished the regular season on Sunday with a 56-26 record, beating the Orlando Magic 113-108 at TD Garden.
The Celtics, who earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race, will open up the playoffs on Sunday afternoon (1 p.m. ET) against either the Philadelphia 76ers or the Magic. Those two teams will play each other in the play-in tournament to determine who the No. 7 seed will be.
With six days off between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs, the Celtics will spend time trying to get fully healthy again. Jayson Tatum missed the final two games of the campaign as he works his way through his Achilles tendon recovery. Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard, Neemias Queta, Derrick White, Nikola Vucevic and Sam Hauser all sat out the finale with varying issues.
With some down time coming over the next week, let's go through some odds and ends with regards to the Celtics.
Tatum's popularity remains high
After suffering the torn Achilles in last years Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks, Tatum played only 16 games this season.
The six-time All-Star averaged 21.8 ppg in those 16 games, also snagging 10 rebounds a contest and dishing out 5.3 assists. He played 32.6 minutes a night, but despite his limited availability, Tatum remains immensely popular among fans.
As noted by the NBA, Tatum had the seventh-best selling jersey this season, behind only Steph Curry (Warriors), Luke Doncic (Lakers), Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Victor Wembanyama (Spurs), LeBron James (Lakers) and, Anthony Edwards (T'Wolves). He was one spot ahead of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA MVP.
Pritchard deserves credit for growth
Celtics' guard Payton Pritchard was honored with the 'Red Auerbach Award,' on Friday night, which goes to the player that most embodies what it means to be a Celtic.
It's far cry from not even three calendar years ago, when Pritchard requested a trade from the Celtics because of his lack of consistent playing time.
This year, he's taken on a major role, scoring 17.0 ppg and helping carry the organization in the wake of offseason roster reshuffling and Tatum's most-of-the-season injury recovery. He was the Sixth Man of the Year winner in the NBA a season ago.
Also need to know
The play-in game between Philadelphia and Orlando is set for Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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