Pressey's Minutes May Be Inconsistent, But He Isn't

http://www.csnne.com/blog/celtics-talk/presseys-minutes-may-be-inconsistent-he-isnt



Pressey's minutes may be inconsistent, but he isn't
October 9, 2014, 9:30 am






HARTFORD, Conn. - Every game, Phil Pressey shows up ready to be a starter only to discover that more often than not, he'll play few if any minutes.

This is the life of an undrafted point guard who finds himself buried behind guys with the three P's going for them - proven track record (Rajon Rondo), potential (rookie Marcus Smart) and pretty damn good (Evan Turner).

But to Pressey's credit, he has managed to always keep himself ready to contribute when called upon to play a major or even minor role.

"That's the NBA," Pressey said."You have to stay ready. I'm going to continue to work, continue to stay in shape."

As a rookie last season, Pressey experienced first-hand how quickly things can change for him in terms of playing time.

At one point in November of 2013, he had eight straight games of playing double-digit minutes, followed by three straight in which he played less than 10 minutes. That was followed by a 20-minute game at Charlotte on Nov. 25, then a five-minute outing against Memphis on Nov. 27 which was then followed by 15 minutes against Cleveland on Nov. 29 and then eight at Milwaukee on Nov. 30.

"I got the best of everything," Pressey said. "So I'm not worried about my situation as far as playing time. I have to stay ready."

He has certainly done that thus far in the preseason.

In Boston's 98-78 preseason win over Philadelphia on Monday, Pressey had five points in 13 minutes of court time. However, the Celtics seemed to play some of their best basketball when he was on the floor which could be seen in Boston being plus-15 when he was in the game.

That was tops among all Celtics reserves and third overall behind Evan Turner (plus-19) and Kelly Olynyk (plus-17).

In Boston's 106-86 preseason win over New York on Wednesday, Pressey logged 18 minutes with the Celtics being plus-11 when he was on the floor.

"You just have to wait for your opportunity," said Pressey who added, "and when your opportunity comes, you have to be able to go. I have to stay ready."

Celtics head coach Brad Stevens sees Pressey as a player with the ability to provide some much-needed energy whenever he's called upon to play.

"He's an energy raiser," Stevens said. "You always know that if you don't like the tempo, Phil can change the tempo of the game. Some people can change a game with a six-point run with a couple 3-pointers. Some people can change the game with their defensive presence. He can change the tempo with his push."

But that push isn't likely to push aside those ahead of him on the depth chart at point guard.

It doesn't really matter.

Because regardless to when he's called upon to play, Pressey has proven he's ready to play whatever role Brad Stevens and his coaching staff want to cast him into this season.

"I said it last year, no matter how many minutes I play, I'm going to come in and affect the game, bring energy to the team," Pressey said. "I can't tell you how many minutes I'm going to play. But when I'm in there, I'm going to bring energy."




bob
MY NOTE:  Phil Pressey's middle name is "Pace" (or, at least, it should be).  If Brad wants to get and keep the Celtics in an uptempo, fast-paced game style, I mean really burn it into their consciousness, he should play Phil Pressey more.  It'll also force Evan Turner to do something WITHOUT the ball.  It was fortunate for Danny, and us, that he got to see Phil growing up because his father was a coach here.  A very nice (and very, very cheap) undrafted back up point guard.  We went from having one (Rondo) to having 2 1/2 (Rondo, Pressey, Turner) and maybe even 3 1/2 if you want to include Smart (he had 6 assists and 3 TOs last night.  Not bad for a 2nd professional game)



.

During the Knicks game, Tommy said that with improvements already evident this preseason, Pressey has shown he is an NBA point guard. I agree, see him as a catalyst who can only help us. With more confidence in his shot this year, the rest of his game looks smoother and the team hums when he's on the floor. I know it's only preseason, but very encouraging to watch. Hawk

Nice cheap insurance policy for now.

beat

I've always liked Phil and what he brings to the game.  I dismissed, a uninformed, those who focused on his shooting.  I hope he continues to improve his offense, if only to shut them up.  As for being a floor general, I'm as comfortable with Phil as anyone else on the team.  He's constantly aggressive.  He's never hesitant.  And he seldom makes mistakes.  And he enables other players very well.

Sam

Finally a sound article written by A.

Pressey's value is still underrated. I liked what I saw yesterday. He's aggressive, and I noticed on multiple plays he could sense the blood in the water like a shark and knew the precise instant to attack.

It appears the Celtics can now impose constant pressure with this current PG rotation.



KJ