Celtics rookie Payton Pritchard has generated considerable buzz over the first week of this season. He has been a key part of the rotation and entered Wednesday’s matchup against the Grizzlies shooting 59.1 percent from the field while playing 22 minutes per game. But the player the Celtics selected 12 spots ahead of Pritchard in last month’s draft has yet to earn a similar chance. Despite the absences of Kemba Walker and Romeo Langford, sharpshooting wing Aaron Nesmith, the 14th overall pick, entered Wednesday having played just nine minutes over Boston’s first four games.“You can only play five guys at a time,” coach Brad Stevens said. “We’ve got several guys that are high-minute players at his position. Very often it’s hard to crack when you’re in an eight- or nine-man rotation.”Wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and guard Marcus Smart all entered Wednesday averaging more than 33 minutes per game. Nesmith made 52.2 percent of his 3-pointers as a sophomore at Vanderbilt last season and was drafted to provide some scoring pop off the bench. But Pritchard, who spent four years at Oregon, appears to be more NBA-ready at the moment. Stevens said Nesmith’s lack of opportunity so far is not an indictment on his capabilities, though.“He’s doing everything that he needs to do,” Stevens said. “He’s working really hard. He’s a guy that does not have the same level of experience as others but will catch up quickly because of his work ethic, his personality, who he is and everything else. The biggest key for him is just stay upbeat. He’ll get plenty of opportunities as this season goes along and whether that happens tonight, whether that happens down the road, I have no doubt that he’ll be ready.”Javonte Green sidelinedCeltics forward Javonte Green missed Wednesday’s game against the Grizzlies because of health and safety protocols. That has been the NBA’s official designation this season when players are sidelined for COVID-19-related reasons. The NBA announced Wednesday that no players have tested positive for the virus since Dec. 24, so Green’s absence is not believed to be related to a positive test of his own. Stevens declined to comment about Green’s situation, saying only that he did not know how long he would be out. Green could be experiencing flu-like symptoms, he could have violated the league’s safety protocols, or he could have come in close contact with someone who registered a positive test. Regardless, he is the first Celtic to miss a game this season because of health and safety protocols. The second-year forward played 21 minutes in Boston’s 111-106 win over the Pacers on Tuesday and tallied 7 points and 3 rebounds while also slowing down Indiana forward Doug McDermott. Also, center Tristan Thompson sat out on Wednesday to rest his hamstring. Tatum was initially listed as questionable with a left thumb sprain he suffered in the first quarter of the win over the Pacers, but he was cleared to play.


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