Jayson Tatum Injury Comes at Bad Time for Celtics Hitting Stride

Jayson Tatum left the Celtics’ 113-95 win over the Kings on Tuesday after landing on Domantas Sabonis’ foot and turning his left ankle. He did not return after Boston ruled him doubtful with the sprain. Reports from Sacramento sounded positive, but with 10 games remaining in the Celtics’ schedule it’s likely that Tatum will miss at least some time. A rarity for arguably the most durable player in the NBA.

That his run of health, that spans most of his career, ended with an unnecessary and illegal play proved the second greatest gut punch from the scary moment. The worst — Tatum continued his play rivaling anyone in the league to close the season with 25 points, seven rebounds and eight assists on 8-for-15 shooting in 26 minutes. Entering the game, he averaged 30.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 46.6% over his seven prior appearances. His passing took over the first quarter — five assists and three makes comprising most of the Celtics’ 10 baskets in the opening frame.

Boston, already missing Al Horford and Sam Hauser while Jaylen Brown slowly returned from his own knee ailment with nine points, closed 30-26 over Sacramento after Tatum exited the game. Officials ruled the collision a flagrant penalty one on Sabonis, who apologized to Tatum on the floor and after the game. Tatum split a pair of free throws and departed to the locker room, his initial reaction to the injury, writhing in pain for several minutes and requiring an additional timeout, contrasting against similar bumps he suffered and played through in the past. He initially tried to rise from his seat on the bench, but struggled through the pain before walking to the free throw line and off the floor on his own power. Joe Mazzulla provided little update after the game beyond Tatum icing the injury and seeming ok.

Beyond the injury interrupting his hot streak, it came with 10 games remaining in the Celtics’ regular season schedule beginning at Phoenix on Wednesday. Boston takes two days off between the Suns and Spurs games, providing time for Tatum to see how the injury progresses between two flights, further evaluation and treatment. The Celtics effectively locking into the east’s second seed long ago and Tatum reaching 65 games on Monday, the minimum to reach All-NBA status, leave almost no incentive to play him in the rest of the regular season beyond building up his conditioning and rhythm again before the postseason. Accounting for the play-in tournament, Boston has more than three weeks until the playoffs begin. Even then, Boston could theoretically survive some time in the first round without him against teams like Atlanta, Orlando and Chicago.

That’s on the long side of whatever injury he suffered. In the short term, the Celtics have Brown back from a bone bruise needing to find his rhythm and comfort leading the offense through whatever absence Tatum deals with. Boston posted a +7.6 net rating entering Monday with Brown and Tatum on the court together. Brown has maintained a +10.3 net rating in his solo minutes, down only slightly from Tatum’s +11.6 while alone. With Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Kristaps Porziņģis also capable of creating for themselves and others, the Celtics don’t lack other options. Baylor Scheierman also emerged over the last five games in secondary wing minutes while flashing his own ability to create off the dribble and pass the ball effectively.

A short-term Tatum absence enhances the team’s ability to adapt, find new ways to play and regain Brown’s flow. He turned the ball over three times mis-handling the ball and traveling, never looking fully in sync with the offense following another slow start for Boston’s regular starters. Brown missed four of the five previous games with a bone bruise in his right knee, compounding multiple issues he’s deal with throughout the schedule. The team ruled him out of Sunday’s game at Portland ahead of time before further evaluation on Monday. He played only 25 minutes in the win.

Injuries remain the lone concern for a Celtics team that’s experienced playing with each other, tried most of its experiments already and shouldn’t see many opponents this postseason that overly concern them. The bigger fears come within, this bruise the latest in a line of Brown, Jrue Holiday, Hauser, White and Porziņģis ailments that have impacted them all at times throughout the schedule. For Tatum, who played 32 straight games between Christmas and the start of this month following a last-second scratch with an illness at Orlando, the sideline remains an unfamiliar place. He wants to play, and whenever the first chance arrives to test his ankle, he’ll leap.