Reports: Tatum expected to miss 10-14 days after positive COVID test

Share

*UPDATE (4:30 p.m. ET): Jayson Tatum tested positive for COVID-19 late Friday night and is asymptomatic, The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn reported Saturday.

The Celtics canceled their Saturday practice and closed their practice facility after Tatum's positive test, per Washburn.

-- End of update --

If the Celtics thought their depth was tested with Robert Williams, Tristan Thompson, and Grant Williams sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols, it's about to get a lot worse.

According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Jayson Tatum is expected to join his teammates on the sidelines and will enter quarantine due to the league's health and safety protocols. He's expected to be out of action for 10 to 14 days.

That timeline would force Tatum to miss at least five -- and potentially as many as seven -- Celtics games. Here's their upcoming schedule:

Sun., January 10vs. Miami7:00 p.m.
Tue., January 12at Chicago8:00 p.m.
Wed., January 13vs. Orlando7:30 p.m.
Fri., January 15vs. Orlando7:30 p.m.
Sun., January 17vs. New York1:00 p.m.
Wed., January 20at Philadelphia7:00 p.m.
Fri., January 22at Philadelphia7:30 p.m.

Hopefully for Tatum and the Celtics, he'll only have to be out the minimum 10 days and will be back in time for the C's back-to-back road games against the Eastern Conference-leading 76ers, who are dealing with their own COVID-19 issues. Philly currently has seven players in health and safety protocol after close contact with Seth Curry, who tested positive earlier this week.

Losing Tatum -- who is coming off a team-high 32 points against the Wizards Friday night -- is obviously a massive blow for the Celtics. His 26.9 points per game average ranks eighth in the NBA and he's in the middle of his best stretch of basketball this season, averaging 33 points on 52 percent shooting over his last three games.

Contact Us