Getty Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
Both Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are enjoying hot starts to the new NBA season, helping the Boston Celtics jump out to an 8-3 start to the season with some incredible individual and team performances.
Speaking on a November 10 episode of NBA Today, former Celtic Kendrick Perkins heaped praise of the star duo, annointing them as the best wing pairing in the entire league.
“I’m talking about Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, who is the best duo in the NBA and they proved that last year. Yes, they didn’t win the NBA championship, but we saw them at least get to the finals…They’re going out there and handling business right now. So, when I look at JT and JB, yes they will be All-Stars this season, but they’re looking like a team that’s on a mission to complete the mission that they didn’t do last season. It’s a beautiful thing to see…This is the best duo in the NBA right now as we speak,” Perkins said.
Both Tatum and Brown have been with the Celtics for their entire NBA career, and have been working towards this point since entering the league, now, Celtics fans are reaping the rewards of the star duo’s hard work, and a future championship looks inevitable at this point – assuming they stay together and remain healthy, of course.
Tatum Dealing With Wrist Injury
Speaking to the media following the Celtics 128-112 victory over the Detroit Pistons on November 9, Tatum revealed that he’s dealing with a wrist injury, but gave an encouraging update in that he doesn’t think it will require any surgery.
“Same wrist. Same hand. Something looked different that we’re just managing at this moment. Nothing that I gotta have surgery (on), but something that’s bothering me. But, just tape it up and go out there and continue to play,” Tatum said.
Tatum’s Wrist Injury Isn’t New
Following the Celtics defeat at the hands of the Golden State Warriors in the NBA finals, Tatum revealed that he had been dealing with a non-displaced fracture in his wrist for the entirety of the post-season during an interview with Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks.
“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 told Rooks during the interview.
Hopefully, the Celtics medical staff can continue to manage and monitor Tatum’s problematic wrist, and he doesn’t miss any significant time throughout the season, otherwise their chances of winning a championship this season would take a significant blow.