It was apparent from the beginning that Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum wasn't himself during the 2022 NBA Finals. Now, there appears to be an explanation as to why.
Speaking in an interview with Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks that was posted Sunday, Tatum revealed he played with a nondisplaced fracture in his wrist throughout the Celtics' run to the finals. An injury that was aggravated midway through the postseason.
"I played with like, somewhat of a fracture for like two months," Tatum said. "And then in the playoffs, there was a play against (the) Milwaukee (Bucks) in Game 3. I dunked it, Giannis (Antetokounmpo) chased me down, and he fouled me and I fell into to the crowd, and that was the most painful it's been since that day that I hurt it."
Tatum says the injury arose on the weekend of Super Bowl LVI.
"My trainer, Nick (Sang), who is becoming famous by the day, we talked about getting it looked at before the All-Star break," Tatum said. "And I was like, 'Fine, that's cool'. But as the All-Star break approached, I got nervous to get it looked at because I knew how much pain I was in. I couldn't really push my wrist back; at home, I couldn't hold a plate or cup. So after this game, I was wearing a brace to keep it stable -- I had to sleep in it. But I was nervous to go get it checked out because I never want somebody to tell me I can't play."
The Celtics' star faded down the stretch, as did his numbers. Tatum's averages in points dropped significantly as Boston continued to advance, falling from 29.5 in the first round against the Brooklyn Nets to just 21.5 in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
With his first significant break from basketball in almost three years, Tatum is healed up and motivated to bring the Celtics back to the finals in hopes of breaking through for Banner 18.
