Cedric Maxwell is a former NBA player who was in the league for eleven seasons including an eight year run with the Celtics where he won two championships in the 1980s. Maxwell is also the host of The Cedric Maxwell Podcast on CLNS Media and recently he joined Celtics Beat to discuss what has been a busy start to the year for the team.
On January 6th, protestors stormed the US Capitol and in response, the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat walked off the court ahead of their matchup that night. The game was played after the showing of solidarity and the Celtics won 107-105. The real story came after the game, though, when players for Boston spoke out about the incident in the nation’s capital.
Both Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum took their time in their postgame press conferences to speak about the issue and condemn the protestors. “For them to use their platform to speak about social justice, I absolutely applaud them,” says Maxwell.
Payton Pritchard’s Quick Start
Later in the interview, Maxwell touched on Payton Pritchard who is quickly establishing himself as a go-to option late in games for Boston. The point guard out of the University of Oregon is averaging 8.6 points, 3.1 assists, and 2.4 rebounds a game less than a month into his rookie season.
“At first I saw him and he seemed a little slow. Now I see him getting guys in the air, having old man moves. I love what he’s doing now and wonder what it would be like if he was in The Garden with real fans there.”
Timetable to Kemba Walker’s Return
Celtics coach Brad Stevens recently said that Kemba Walker has been cleared to practice once the team returns to the court following their COVID outbreak. With Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum already establishing themselves as the team’s two best players, Cedric is confident that Walker will easily adjust to a new role.
“I think Kemba is just trying to win… As you get older and you’ve already gotten the contract, you’ve already been an All-Star, you are no longer the horse. You are now the jockey… I think he will be content with just ‘riding’ the two players in Tatum and Brown.”
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