The longer you play, the more likely you will play in the postseason with some ailing injuries. No player is immune to that narrative, and you can ask Jayson Tatum.
While speaking with Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks, Tatum revealed that he was playing with a “small” wrist fracture over the last two months of the season.
“It was small, but it was still like a non-displaced chip. So like, I chipped a bone, but it didn’t leave the surface,” Tatum said.
“But it had shown that the bone had grew over it, so it healed. But I was still in pain because I kept getting hit or falling on it. So I guess I played with somewhat of a fracture for like two months.”
"I played with somewhat of a fracture for two months" 🤯
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 21, 2022
Jayson Tatum opens up about playing through an undisclosed injury during the playoffs in live interview with Taylor Rooks in B/R app pic.twitter.com/kt7xZCV36W
Tatum said he aggravated the injury during the playoffs against the Bucks when Giannis Antetokounmpo fouled him on a dunk attempt in Game 3.
“Then in the playoffs, there was a play against Milwaukee in Game 3. I dunked it, Giannis (Antetokounmpo) chased me down and fouled me, and I fell into the crowd,” the Celtics’ star continued. “That was the most painful it’s been since that day that I hurt it. I ended up getting a cortisone shot in my wrist that night, and you could see it. I’ve lost color in my hand because it kills the fat cells, and there’s not a lot of fat in my hand, so I’ve lost color right there. After each game, I would have to wear a brace to shootaround, and I would take it off before the cameras saw me.”
Tatum averaged 25.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game during the Celtics’ run to the Finals. When he got to the Finals, it seemed as though the wear and tear of his heavy minute load and wrist injury contributed to Tatum averaging 21.5 points per game on 36.7 percent shooting from the field while committing a Finals-record 23 turnovers.
