The Boston Celtics' star tandem of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum is banged up at the midway point of the season.
Brown missed Thursday night's win over the Brooklyn Nets due to right adductor tightness, which could keep him out for "a week or so," per coach Joe Mazzulla. Tatum helped the C's beat Brooklyn, but he revealed after the game that he's dealing with some nagging injuries of his own.
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Tatum said wrist and finger ailments were a factor in his lackluster shooting performance (7-for-22 FG), which included three uncharacteristic airballs.
“If you look at my hand, I've got tape on my wrist, tape on my thumb,” Tatum said. “I had to tape my middle finger and ring finger together. I've got a lot of (expletive) going on. But that played a part, just lingering things, and it was uncomfortable tonight. But I love to play too much to sit out. Yeah, I had some bad misses, but I'd rather be out there still trying to help my team win than not. It'll be alright."
As of now, it doesn't sound like Tatum will miss time due to the injuries. He did acknowledge, however, that could change depending on his discussions go with team president Brad Stevens.
"Something me and Brad will fight about," he said. "So when it gets to that point, maybe you'll see me sit out, maybe not."
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Tatum added that he's been taping his wrist ever since he aggravated the injury in the season opener vs. the Philadelphia 76ers.
Despite the injuries, Tatum tallied 20 points and 11 rebounds to help Boston earn its fifth consecutive win on Thursday night. The 24-year-old is in the midst of an MVP-caliber season in which he's averaging a career-high 30.6 points per game.