It’s been a tough season for the Boston Celtics’ ankles.
Jayson Tatum became the second Celtics player to suffer an ankle injury this campaign, exiting halfway through Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers with right ankle soreness. Tatum received an X-ray on that ankle mid-game at TD Garden, and president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said Thursday that initial tests revealed no breaks or fractures.
“He just has, we’re hoping, a soft tissue injury in the ankle joint, which sometimes can take a while,” Ainge said on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Toucher & Rich,” via radio host Adam Kaufman. “But we’ll have a better idea when he has imaging done (Thursday).”
Tatum is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Thursday to determine the severity of his injury.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens said after Wednesday’s game — a 107-96 Celtics win — that Tatum didn’t remember a specific play when he suffered the injury. But it’s possible he could have hurt his ankle on this drive to the hoop in the first half:
Tatum had been playing very well before his injury, averaging 13.5 points per game and leading all NBA rookies with a 52.9 3-point percentage. The Celtics already a bit thin at wing with Gordon Hayward out for the season, but they’d also do well not to rush the 19-year-old back to action.
Thumbnail photo via Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports Images
