Jayson Tatum has a ’50/50′ chance of playing in Friday’s game against the 76ers
Tatum's been out since Jan. 9 after reportedly testing positive for COVID-19.
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Star forward Jayson Tatum is returning to the practice floor and has a “50/50” chance of playing in Friday’s game against the 76ers, Celtics coach Brad Stevens told 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak and Bertrand” on Wednesday.
“Jayson was able to do his testing and everything else – all the physiological testing that you have to do – yesterday. So, he’ll be able to be on the court in Boston for a bit today,” Stevens said. “I don’t know what that means for the next couple of days. I think there would be a chance he would join us for Friday, but I would say at best that’s 50/50.”
Tatum has been out since Jan. 9, when he was placed in the NBA’s health and safety protocol. It was reported that same day that he had tested positive for COVID-19.
While Tatum is out for Wednesday night’s game against the 76ers, the Celtics will get center Robert Williams back. Williams was placed in the health and safety protocol because of a reported positive test for COVID-19 a day prior to Tatum.
Stevens cautioned those who expect Tatum to have the same impact he’s had this season in his first few games back.
“Just like Rob, he hasn’t done anything for two weeks,” Stevens said. “We’re not allowed to have him do anything. He’s not supposed to do anything active. So, you have to ramp him back up in some ways. I don’t think it’s prudent to play a guy several games in a row for 35 minutes a game if he’s been inactive for several weeks.”
Wednesday’s game will mark the third game Tatum has missed due to COVID-19. The Celtics’ first three games that were scheduled after Tatum was placed in the health and safety protocol were postponed because the team didn’t have enough players.
Brad Stevens gives @ZoandBertrand an update on Jayson Tatum’s return pic.twitter.com/BhS3uucEsY
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) January 20, 2021
The Celtics are 1-1 in Tatum’s absence, with the loss coming to the hands of the Knicks on Sunday in which the Celtics scored a season-low 75 points. Whenever Tatum does return, it’ll likely mark the first time Boston had had Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kemba Walker in a game this season.
Tatum has had a strong start to the 2020-21 season. His 26.9 points per game is the eighth-best average in the league, making him and Brown (who’s averaging 25.8 points per game) one of the top-scoring duos in the NBA.
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