Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum heads the other way after missing a shot during the second half in Game 5 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat Thursday, May 25, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)AP
While news of Jayson Tatum’s wrist wasn’t a huge storyline during the Celtics’ playoff run last season — especially compared to the 2022 playoffs — the C’s star often had his left wrist taped up during games.
Tatum often shrugged off any concerns about the wrist throughout last season, crediting his trainer for the tape job and keeping it good to go. But according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, talking on NBA Today, Tatum mulled over whether he needed to have surgery on his left wrist.
“He went into the offseason thinking he might need surgery on his non-shooting wrist,” Shelburne said. “Went to a bunch of specialists and essentially decided that, ‘No, I’m not going to get the surgery. I don’t need it.’ He got a cortisone shot. He told me it feels really, really good.”
Now, that’s positive news that Tatum didn’t need to get surgery on that left wrist. However, the cortisone shot is nothing new. Tatum revealed he played through a non-displaced fracture in his left wrist during the 2022 playoffs after a hard fall against the Bucks in the East semifinal. Tatum was clearly bothered by the left wrist, and he got a cortisone shot back then, too.
Tatum still played in 74 games despite “managing” that left wrist during the regular season. At this point, it’s unclear how his left wrist feels heading into the season, but it sounds like it shouldn’t be much of an issue.
There were times last year where Tatum would take a hard fall on that left wrist and wince in pain. The C’s will hope the wrist issues are behind him or at least healthier after the offseason. The Celtics open training camp Tuesday with media day set for Monday.