The Boston Celtics are already without the services of Kemba Walker, who has missed all of this season as he’s worked to get his injured knee right, and now, the team will be without its other All-Star. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, COVID-19 protocols will hold Jayson Tatum out.
While it is unclear of Tatum tested positive for the novel coronavirus or if this is merely a matter of him being a close contact that needs to quarantine, Charania reports that the Celtics will be without his services for up to the next two weeks.
Boston Celtics All-NBA star Jayson Tatum is expected to enter quarantine and miss 10-to-14 days due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 9, 2021
Of course, the most important thing here is that Tatum and all of those around him are healthy and able to stay healthy, so even if not having him will be an issue for Boston — which sit 7-3 at this early juncture of the season — making sure he’s safe it the top priority. Still, no Tatum is going to be tricky, as he leads the team in scoring (26.9 points per game) and is second in both rebounding (7.1 a night) and assisting (3.8 a game). Compounding this is that some of the guys who could theoretically slot in, Grant Williams and Romeo Langford, are out, the former due to COVID-19 protocols, the latter due to a wrist injury.
Boston, which has off on Saturday, currently is scheduled to play seven games in the next 14 days.