Tatum Reveals Playoffs Injury

[Ed Monix]

Jayson Tatum opens up about playing through a non-displaced fracture in his left wrist, in an interview with Taylor Rooks (Bleacher Report).

"I played with somewhat of a fracture for two months", Tatum said.

He elaborates that he aggravated the injury in Game 3 against Milwaukee after a foul from Giannis. Tatum stated he would wear a brace in team practice, but remove it to prevent the public from knowing there was an issue.

[nickagneta]

Well, we all knew he was hurting, we kinda just assumed it was the shoulder he kept babying and favoring.

[SparzWizard]

For me it was the shoulder against the Heat.

Didn't know the wrist was bothering him

[hpantazo]

Yeah it was very obvious after that game that something was wrong when he was airballing open looks regularly and missing free throws.

[gouki88]

Well, we all knew he was hurting, we kinda just assumed it was the shoulder he kept babying and favoring.

The wrist did suddenly appear to have that black brace on it all of a sudden, and for quite a while.

[SHAQATTACK]

Knew something or things were bothering him , he really seemed to be playing with obvious discomfort , especially last series with GS

[liam]

Well, we all knew he was hurting, we kinda just assumed it was the shoulder he kept babying and favoring.

He definitely didn't look right in the finals.

[Goldstar88]

In a recent interview with Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum said he played with a non-displaced fracture in his left wrist at the end of last season. Tatum said he injured the wrist with about two months to play in the regular season. The Boston star said he reinjured the wrist in the second round of the playoffs when he was fouled by Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. Tatum said that reinjury occurred when he fell following a dunk that he found on by Antetokounmpo.

According to Tatum, no one but Celtics personnel were aware of the injury. He regularly wore a brace on the injured wrist, but never when the media was present. Tatum said he won’t use the injury as any sort of excuse because “if I’m going out there to play, nothing matters”

“It’s just tough,” he continued. “Sometimes I come off as so laid back, I don’t know if people understand how much I invest into this game, how much I care, how hard I work. … But it was just so tough because I literally gave everything that I had. To feel like I ran out, that I didn’t have anything left to give, and we were so close. “I didn’t have an appetite. I didn’t want to talk to anybody. I didn’t want to go anywhere. I was just in my house for like thee, four days straight.” 5 hours ago – via Paolo Songco @ Clutch Points

[boscel33]

If it occurred with two months left in the season, shouldn't the C's have treated it differently?

[Vermont Green]

I think people tend to forget just how young Tatum is.  I think he does give everything he can to the team.  He is a really good player, a top NBA star.  Being around vets like Durant has less to do about his development on the court and more about dealing with all the other stuff.  Tatum is trying to learn how to handle being an NBA superstar. 

Tatum will figure this all out.  He will learn how to prepare his body and mind for the long season and long playoff runs.  He will learn to deal with the off court fan stuff.  He is a superstar, but still a very young one.  He is advanced physically and in regards to talent but his more general maturity or resiliency to the off court stuff has been a little slower to develop then some other past star players.  It will come.

[Moranis]

If it occurred with two months left in the season, shouldn't the C's have treated it differently?

It sounds like he was fine until he reinjured it against the Bucks.

[C3LTSF4N]

I knew there was something wrong.  I came here and made a thread when the finals ended asking if anyone thought it was a significant injury affecting his play. Obviously people felt the same way, and it seemed like his shoulder.  At least now we have proof it wasn’t mental.

[Neurotic Guy]

Love hearing about his desire to win and his willingness to play through injury with minimal complaint.  I’ll be interested to see how he starts the year remembering last year it took a while for him to show the high level consistency we were hoping for.  A number of posters were questioning (as happens occasionally) whether he or Brown is the superior player.  Most stuck with Tatum but for a while it looked debatable.

[Redz]

I get it.  And it's understandable for some sub standard performances, but it still doesn't excuse completely disappearing for long stretches in the Finals.

[Rondo9]

I get it.  And it's understandable for some sub standard performances, but it still doesn't excuse completely disappearing for long stretches in the Finals.

So a fracture in the wrist and a bum shoulder doesn't account as a reason? Tough crowd.