(Ryan Sun / Associated Press)
As Taurean Prince sat down to do a postgame interview, he sighed.
“Oh, man,” Prince said.
He played 38 minutes, 59 seconds. He chased Boston’s two top offensive players, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, around the court. He dropped in 17 points on five-for-12 shooting on three-pointers.
If that was taxing, Prince wasn’t willing to admit it.
“Um, it’s part of the game,” he said. “I’ve been in the league eight years so it’s not much I haven’t seen. I know how to prepare and get ready for those type of wars. I knew today would be one of those and 38 minutes I think that speaks for itself, and AD [Davis] and Bron [LeBron James] the same thing. So, the recovery game starts now. So, just trying to continue to do what I can off the court to make sure I’m available.”
It has become clear that the more minutes Prince plays, the more effective he has become.
Over the course of his last eight games, he averaged 35.2 minutes.
In that time, he averaged 13.7 points per game and shot 49.3% from the field and 44.6% from three-point range.
When asked about his increased minutes, Prince said, “I’m feeling good,” and that the Lakers put “the people in place to help us recover and get ready to play games.”
“But my legs feel fine,” he added. “They are fine and that’s just part of it. That’s why we do what we do. That’s why we get paid what we get paid. So, if it’s 48, then cool. If it’s 20, then cool. My job is to be ready and do my job when I’m ready between the lines.”