After Jayson Tatum recently hinted that his wrist injury was more serious than originally thought, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens updated the injury timeline further.
In an interview on the Boston sports radio show Merloni, Fauria, & Mego, Stevens revealed that the Celtics superstar experienced a non-displaced wrist fracture at some point close to the All-Star break in February.
Despite this unnerving news, Stevens made it clear that Tatum is still eager to compete.
“He wants to play. There was no harm, couldn't do any extra damage,” Stevens said.
This should be a comforting statement to Celtics fans, as the team has struggled with injuries in the past. In 2017, Celtics hero Isaiah Thomas was hit with a hip injury from which he never truly recovered. After his trade to Cleveland for Kyrie Irving, Thomas even claimed that Boston's medical staff made it seem like he could push through and play with his devastating injury.
In 2020, Kemba Walker dealt with a severe knee injury that only worsened. Like Thomas, the former Celtics point guard has not been the same since his injury. He's been shipped around the league repeatedly after being traded from Boston and seen a sharp drop in minutes.
If everything Stevens says is true, the story will not stay the same with Tatum. Overall, the injury does seem less serious. Tatum is expected to be ready for training camp.
Hopefully, he'll be completely healthy for the oncoming 2022-23 season. The Celtics team Stevens built will look to finally raise the elusive Banner 18.
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