Why is Jayson Tatum doubtful for game 2 vs Orlando Magic?

Jayson Tatum has been diagnosed with a bone bruise on his wrist, leaving him doubtful for Game 2 against Orlando on Wednesday.

Why is Jayson Tatum doubtful for game 2 vs Orlando Magic?

Jayson Tatum

Defending NBA champions Boston Celtics have their task cut out against a young, athletic and long Orlando Magic outfit. They were able to take a win in Game 1 without their top two stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown firing. Brown himself is nursing an injury and is at a stage where he’s still easing himself into the action. Tatum has now cropped up with an injury of his own to heal, ahead of game 2.

Many fans doubted whether he was fully fit after an inefficient outing in game 1. Tatum went 8-of-22 from the field for only 17 points after facing some stout defense from Orlando. Though he added 14 rebounds, four assists, and had no turnovers, he was visibly off his physical best. Many suspected that he was nursing an injury during the game. These fears have been proven to be true based on the latest reporting.

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Speaking on NBA Today, Shams Charania shed more light on the circumstances of Tatum being declared doubtful.

Sources tell me Jayson Tatum underwent an MRI on that wrist over the last 24 hours. He has been diagnosed with a bone bruise in his shooting wrist. It’s believed to be a pain tolerance injury, something that the Celtics will be managing day-to-day and his status is somewhat up in the air heading into Game 2.

Shams Charania said on NBA Today

The injury to Tatum appeared to happen when he collided mid-air with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The two-time NBA champion, along with Wendell Carter Jr., were trying to stop Tatum from getting a two-handed dunk during the fourth quarter. KCP was called for a flagrant foul on this play. Celtics veteran Al Horford has expressed his apprehension at KCP’s overly physical play ahead of their next game.

The Magic themselves are quite shorthanded for this series, missing starting point guard Jalen Suggs. They will probably start Anthony Black after Cory Joseph put together a scoreless 26-minute outing in game 1. Even with the Celtics being without Jayson Tatum, Boston should be heavily favored. Derrick White capitalized on Joseph and Black’s defensive failings to hang 30 points in game 1.

What is the expected recovery timeline for Jayson Tatum?

The Celtics superstar has been one of the NBA’s most durable players through the course of eight seasons in the league. Even though listed as doubtful, it would hardly be surprising if he took the floor for game 2. Players have often played through bone bruises during the playoffs, when the stakes are much higher. As one of the toughest players in the league, Tatum will play and try to keep his reputation intact.

It should be noted that the Celtics also had the most-viewed playoff game of the weekend. The NBA saw its most-viewed first NBA playoffs weekend, perhaps bolstered by the dates coinciding with Easter weekend. The defending champions have kept their roster intact and will likely have Kristaps Porzingis available for their whole run. But injuries to their top two players will put a dampener on their hopes of repeating.

Head coach Joe Mazzulla had a rather surprising reaction to the incident that caused injury to Tatum. He asked the 27-year-old to ‘get up’ and get on with the game. To Tatum’s credit, he took those words in stride and complied. When asked about his response, Mazzulla attributed his reaction to ‘love’. He believed that Tatum was more than capable of staying on the floor, and was proved right in his hypothesis.