"There is something wrong with him, not knowing what it was" - Jalen Rose looks back on Boston Celtics' 3x All-Star's performance in playoffs following his retrospective injury admission
Jalen Rose spoke highly about Jayson Tatum after he revealed about a wrist injury he endured during the Boston Celtics' deep playoff run. The three-time All-Star mentioned the injury for the first time during his interview with Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks.
He stated that the injury occurred during the Western Conference semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks. However, Jayson Tatum continued playing through it and helped the Boston Celtics come out of the East. Former NBA player Jalen Rose said on ESPN's "Jalen & Jacoby" that he observed a slump in Tatum's shooting after the injury.
"The one thing about being at the games is, you get a chance to literally watch everything. You get a chance to watch the timeouts, you get a chance to watch the huddles, you get a chance to see the player's body language the entire time.
"And one thing I noticed about Jayson Tatum, and we can pull up the footage another day, he shot a few air balls and you know I pay attention to air balls."
Here's the clip:
Jayson Tatum was heavily criticized for his shooting performances during the NBA Finals. He averaged 21.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 7 assists while shooting 36.7% from the field. However, the injury may have been one of the reasons for the lackluster showing. Speaking about how the injury impacted his performance in the playoffs, Tatum said:
"I played with somewhat of a fracture for two months."
“I played with somewhat of a fracture for two months" 🤯
Going to need an apology from everyone who slandered Jayson Tatum https://t.co/XHkAOGcv0l
After Tatum spoke about the injury, Jalen Rose said:
"A couple of times I thought it was going to be because of a tight contest and then he shot one where he was wide open and I was like, 'There is something wrong with him, not knowing what it was,' and as somebody who has had a fractured wrist, they are incredibly painful, he didn't play with much to cover it or to like mask it. And so for him to be even out there if that's the case is incredible."
The Boston Celtics lost 4-2 to the Golden State Warriors in the finals. Trying to put the loss behind them, the team will look to make its way back into the NBA Finals next season. The Celtics have made some stellar recruitments in the offseason, most notably those of Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari.
Jayson Tatum has also been working on his game, too. If he continues to develop his game, there is no doubt that the Celtics will be a tough side to beat in the East.
.@jaytatum0 is cooking at @thecrawsover three-point line ♨️ https://t.co/GDC90PT8k4
Are the Boston Celtics legitimate title contenders next season?
The Boston Celtics' biggest strength last season was their resilient defense. After getting off to a slow start, the team locked in on defense prior to the All-Star break and continued to do so for the rest of the season
Going into the 2022-23 season, the Boston Celtics will be hoping to continue playing good basketball. The offseason acquisitions of Brogdon and Gallinari will add depth to an already formidable roster.
There have been rumors that have linked Kevin Durant to the Boston Celtics, but there is no certainty on that. Their roster is stacked and if it all works out, many believe they are poised to make another trip to the NBA Finals.