Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics has decided not to have surgery on his damaged wrist.
Jayson Tatum has been out with a wrist injury for the past two seasons. Last summer, the All-NBA forward announced that he was playing with a ‘non-displaced fracture’ in his non-shooting wrist. Tatum played with the injury heavily strapped up last season.
Tatum has seen various specialists this summer, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
“He went into the offseason thinking he might need surgery on his non-shooting wrist,” Shelburne explained. “I went to a bunch of specialists and basically decided, ‘I’m not going to get the surgery because I don’t need it.'” “I got a cortisone shot, and it feels great.”
Tatum’s shooting form has been inconsistent since his injury. When going to the rim, the veteran forward has avoided collision. Tatum has instead begun leaning into his ‘Euro Step’ to create space on his interior shoots while also reducing the number of dunks he makes. The Boston Celtics are anticipated to compete for a title this season, and Tatum will need to be at or near his peak if he is to play a key part.
Tatum suffered an ankle injury in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, limiting his ability to impact the game. As a result, Boston failed to penetrate the Miami Heat’s defense. While that injury is unrelated to Tatum’s persistent wrist problems, it demonstrates how much the Celtics rely on their best player.
Celtics fans will be hopeful that the signing of Kristaps Porzingis relieves some of Tatum’s scoring burden. However, if his wrist flares up in the coming months, he may come to regret not having surgery, especially if it loses Boston a chance at a title.
