Getty Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
During the early stages of the Boston Celtics February 23 victory over the Indiana Pacers, Jayson Tatum gave fans a scare as he fell on the same wrist that has been causing him problems since midway through the 2021-22 season.
When speaking to the media following the game, Tatum provided an update on if his fall had further injured or aggravated his lingering injury.
“That was scary. They always teach you not to put your hand out, but it was so quick. You guys probably saw I jumped up so quick because I was, like, I was scared. And I was, just, moving my hand, because that’s the one that’s been bothering me for a year now, and falling right on it, I was really, just, really just like trying to see if I could open and close, if I had strength, and it was painful for 5-10 minutes, but got it looked at, and I mean, it’s sore, but I’ll be alright,” Tatum said.
Tatum struggled for consistency throughout the contest, shooting 9-of-25 from the field and 3-of-12 from deep, but still finished the game with a statline of 31 points. 12 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.
Brad Stevens Could Ask Tatum to Sit Games
When speaking to the media following the Boston Celtics’ 109-98 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on January 12, Tatum revealed that his wrist was still being problematic for him and that he and Brad Stevens have had discussions about the injury in the past.
Jayson Tatum says he’s dealing with issues with a few of his fingers & wrist. Will he need to consider sitting out at some point?
“That’s something me and Brad will fight about”
“If you look at my hand, I’ve got tape on my wrist, tape on my thumb. I had to tape my middle finger and ring finger together. I got a lot of s*** going on. But that played a part, just lingering things, and it was uncomfortable tonight. But I love to play too much to sit out. Yeah, I had some bad misses, but I’d rather be out there still trying to help my team win than not. It’ll be alright…It’s something me and Brad will fight about; when it gets to that point, maybe you’ll see me sit out, maybe not,” Tatum said.
Fortunately, Tatum seems to have adapted his playing style to ensure his wrist doesn’t limit his ability to be an impactful scorer for the Celtics and is currently operating at an MVP level.
Jayson Tatum Revealed Wrist Injury After The NBA Finals
During Boston’s run to the NBA finals last season, where they ultimately fell to the Golden State Warriors in six games, fans were none the wiser to the fact Tatum was dealing with a non-displaced fracture in his wrist.
In fact, it wasn’t until an interview with Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks that Tatum made his injury public.
“I played with somewhat of a fracture for two months” 🤯
Jayson Tatum opens up about playing through an undisclosed injury during the playoffs in live interview with Taylor Rooks in B/R app
“I had a non-displaced fracture in my wrist. It was small, but it was a non-displaced chip – I had chipped the bone, but it didn’t leave the surface. It showed the bone had grown over and it had healed, but it would still hurt because I kept getting hit and falling on it. So, I guess I played with somewhat of a fracture for two months, and then in the playoffs, there was a play against Milwaukee in game three – I dunked it, Giannis (Antetokounmpo) chased me down and I fell into the crowd and that was the most painful it’s been since the day that I hurt it…After each game, I had to wear a brace, but I would take it back off before the cameras saw me,” Tatum said.