Michael Jordan's ex-teammate Ron Harper drops hammer on Jayson Tatum’ injury after hard fall: “Soft”
During the final minutes of the Boston Celtics' Game 1 win Sunday, Jayson Tatum suffered a scary fall while attempting a poster dunk. While some fans were holding their breath following the play, one former player sounded off on the star forward.
After getting past his defender on the perimeter, Tatum found himself with a clear lane to the basket. Orlando Magic forward Kentavious Caldwell-Pope rotated over to help defend the rim. The two collided in the air, resulting in Tatum losing his balance.
Jayson Tatum ended up landing awkwardly on his hands before crashing into the padded structure of the basket. He stayed on the ground for some time clutching his right wrist. The Celtics star went on to remain in the game, and Caldwell-Pope was assessed a flagrant foul.
Ron Harper reacts to Jayson Tatum's fall vs Magic
During his 15-year playing career in the NBA, Ron Harper played in a much more physical era. Because of this, the former teammate of Michael Jordan was displeased with all the added antics from this play.
Over the past year, Harper has become a much more prominent figure on social media. He's regularly sharing his thoughts on all things in and around the NBA and was at it again on Sunday night. Harper commented on Jayson Tatum's play against Caldwell-Pope, calling the whole thing soft.
"Soft," Harper wrote.
Jayson Tatum struggled offensively against the Magic but still managed to help the Celtics secure a victory in Game 1. He ended the afternoon with 17 points and 14 rebounds on 8-for-22 shooting from the field.
While Harper isn't putting much emphasis on this play, it is something to monitor for the Celtics moving forward. Tatum is a key piece for Boston in their playoff run as the team's premiere talent. If they're going to repeat as champions, he'll need to be playing at his best. That said, suffering a wrist injury on his shooting hand is an ailment that could linger and hinder his play for weeks.
As of now, there are no developments on the severity of this play. The schedule has worked out in the Celtics' favor though, as they find themselves with an extended break. Boston is off for two full days, not taking the floor for Game 2 until Wednesday night. This gives Tatum an extended period to have his wrist looked at and addressed before having to compete again.
Seeing that Tatum was visibly shaken up by this play, the status of his wrist will certainly be something to monitor as the postseason rages on.