Jayson Tatum considered offseason wrist surgery but declined.
The Celtics star has a history of non-shooting wrist issues.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelbourne stated on NBA Today that Jayson Tatum considered having wrist surgery this summer but eventually decided against it, instead obtaining a cortisone shot.
Before making his selection, the Boston Celtics superstar spoke with “a bunch of specialists” and assured Shelbourne that he “feels really good.”
Tatum’s non-shooting wrist problem dates back to the end of the 2021-22 season, when he stated that he played through a fracture during the Celtics’ run to the NBA Finals in 2022.
“It was small, but it was still like a non-displaced chip,” Tatum explained in an August 2022 interview with Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks. “I chipped a bone, but it didn’t leave the surface, but it showed that the bone grew over it, so it healed.” But I was still in pain because I kept falling or being smacked by it. So I guess I played with a fracture for around two months.”
He also mentioned a game versus the Milwaukee Bucks in 2022 in which he dunked on Giannis Antetokounmpo and tumbled into the crowd. “That was the most painful it’s been since that day that I hurt it,” Tatum stated.
The issue remained into the 2022-23 season. Tatum stated in November 2022 that he and the Celtics were “managing” the situation. Tatum stated that it was “nothing I needed surgery for,” but that the problem was still “bothering” him.
Tatum is set to start another season after one season, no surgery, and a cortisone shot, hoping the wrist concerns go away.
