Jayson Tatum on Collision Course With Brad Stevens Over Injury

Sitting in front of the media following the Boston Celtics’ 109-98 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, Jayson Tatum revealed that he’s dealing with some pain in his wrist and fingers.

“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.

Despite playing through the pain, Tatum ended the contest against Brooklyn with 20 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block while shooting 31.8% from the field and 20% from the perimeter.

Jayson Tatum Urges Teammates to Be Selfless

Later in the same press conference, Tatum spoke about the Celtics’ need to sacrifice from an individual standpoint, noting that winning is more rewarding than any individual accolade or statistic.

“Everybody has to sacrifice to be on a great team. We have individual guys that come off the bench that could start on the majority of other teams. We got guys that start that could average more on another team. But anybody will tell you how much fun and rewarding it was last year in the playoffs to keep advancing, keep winning, to make it to the finals. And, no individual stat or accolade can measure up to being on a winning team that’s having fun. There’s nothing better than that,” Tatum said.

Ben Simmons Praises the Celtics

Following Brooklyn’s loss, Ben Simmons took some time to praise the Celtics’ brand of basketball and the team ethos they display on a nightly basis while also noting they’re one of the best teams in the NBA.

“It’s fun, coming in here tonight and playing a team like that, that’s fun, you wanna play the best team. The way they play is just; they’re very together, defensively and offensively. They have some great individuals, but when you put it together, they play team basketball. They know their roles, they share the ball, they’re very consistent,” Simmons said.

Simmons almost had a double-double performance for Brooklyn, despite not scoring a single point. In 26 minutes of playing time, Simmons ended the contest with 0 points, 13 assists, and 9 rebounds.

Boston will now turn their attention toward their January 14 contest against the Charlotte Hornets as they look to acquire their 33rd win of the season and continue building momentum as we approach the All-Star break.