On Sunday, another member of the Boston Celtics entered into health and safety protocols.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic , Josh Richardson has become the seventh Celtics player to get placed there.
Richardson joins Al Horford, Grant Williams, Jabari Parker, Juancho Hernangomez, and two-way players Sam Hauser and Brodric Thomas in health and safety protocols.
It's the second time Richardson has gone into health and safety protocols, as he missed Boston's Dec 10 loss to the Phoenix Suns and the team's win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec 13.
Richardson is coming off his best game as a Celtic, scoring a team-high 27 points in Saturday's win against the New York Knicks. The seventh-year veteran knocked down nine of his 14 shots, including five of his seven attempts from beyond the arc, and he generated four more points at the free-throw line. He also grabbed five rebounds, dished out four assists, swiped three steals, and registered a plus-minus rating of +12.
In the fourth quarter, Richardson's energy, effort on the defensive end, and shot-making offensively went a long way towards closing out a win that brought the Celtics back to .500. Twelve of his 27 points came in the final frame.
Richardson was miscast in his previous two stops with the Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks, respectively, as he often got asked to remain glued to a spot on the perimeter, taking threes off the catch. In Boston, Richardson is thriving in a role off the bench. Furthermore, operating in an egalitarian offense has given him more freedom to attack off of the dribble. Doing so has tapped back into one of his strong suits offensively and something underutilized since he left the Miami Heat.
For the season, Richardson's averaging 10.7 points per game in 25.2 minutes, making 40.5 percent of the 3.6 threes he's taking per contest. Richardson is getting more comfortable in Boston's offense, something that's reflected in his recent production.
The Celtics will also miss the energy he provides off the bench and the absence of a quality perimeter defender.
On Monday, the Celtics are scheduled to host the Philadelphia 76ers. The latter was supposed to play on Sunday against the New Orleans Pelicans. However, the game got postponed for three reasons.
- Andre Drummond and Shake Milton joined Georges Niang in health and safety protocols
- Injury-related concerns about Joel Embiid's, Tyrese Maxey's, and Danny Green's availability
- NBA G League players are in Las Vegas for the Winter Showcase
Those three factors made it too difficult for the Sixers to guarantee they'd have the required minimum of eight available players for Sunday's game. However, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Monday's game between the Celtics and Sixers is expected to go on as scheduled. Granted, the following is from before Richardson entered into health and safety protocols, and the situation is fluid.
Provided the game does happen, tip-off is at 7:30 EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.
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