Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum departed Wednesday’s contest against the Memphis Grizzlies during the third quarter due to an apparent groin injury, as he was forced to immediately head for the locker room.
Jayson Tatum, obviously in pain, headed for the locker room area. Looked to be holding his groin.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) January 23, 2020
After making his way back to the bench, Tatum was able to sit on the bench, albeit in a state of being wrapped up as he deals with a groin strain.
After the game, Tatum seemed to be doing much better.
Tatum's hardly limping at all as he heads back to the locker room now. He even stopped to take off his shoes and sign them for a fan.
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) January 23, 2020
Prior to his departure, Tatum dropped a team-high 23 points on 9-for-18 shooting, including going 3-for-7 from behind the arc. He also packed his stat sheet with seven rebounds, four assists and two steals, with his absence likely to pave the way for Semi Ojeleye to absorb most of his minutes for the remainder of the contest.
The Celtics have largely avoided serious injuries to their squad thus far in 2019-20, although Kemba Walker, Gordon Hayward, Enes Kanter and others have been sidelined for chunks of time.
Tatum entered the night second on the team in scoring at 21.5 points per game, nearly a six-point increase from where he sat last season. Leading the team with 34.1 minutes played on a nightly basis, Tatum has made a legitimate case for an All-Star bid during his age-21 campaign.
Any extended absence from Tatum wouldn’t derail Boston’s season, even if it certainly wouldn’t be welcome. Following the team’s victory Wednesday, they sit at 29-14 on the year, having won 18 of their first 23 games at home.
Depending on how other contests break Wednesday, Boston could ascend to second place in the Eastern Conference in the coming days.
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