Jayson Tatum Leaves Team USA Win Over Turkey With Ankle Injury
BOSTON (CBS) -- When Team USA announced their roster for the 2019 FIBA Wold Cup, Boston fans were stoked to see a handful of Celtics representing the country. It was a nice bonus to get to watch some of their favorite players well before the 2019-20 NBA season tips off.
Of course, the one caveat that could put a real damper on all that team-building in Shanghai is an injury. And here we are on Tuesday morning, worrying about an injury to Celtics star Jayson Tatum.
Team USA survived against Turkey on Tuesday morning, escaping with a 93-92 overtime victory. Tatum played a big role in the win, sending the game to OT by hitting two of three at the charity stripe with Team USA down by two with 0.1 second left. If only he had hit that third freebie...
In the extra session, Tatum rolled his left ankle after making a pass to Khris Middleton on the break. Tatum was slow to get up and had to be helped by trainers, eventually making it to the USA locker room under his own power.
Here's the video of Tatum rolling his ankle pic.twitter.com/utZC32HCls
— Tomek Kordylewski (@Timi_093) September 3, 2019
Tatum walking off under his own power now to USA tunnel according to the broadcast after being helped off after the Middleton foul.
— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) September 3, 2019
Middleton was fouled on the play and hit both of his free throws to give Team USA the victory, but the focus in Boston is on Tatum's health. While it's good to hear that he made it to the locker room on his own, Tatum may be done showcasing his game to the rest of the world. He suffered a sprained left ankle and will be re-evaluated on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
The injury, however, does not appear to be anything serious, according to Tatum himself.
About 20 minutes after his ankle injury, Jayson Tatum texted Brad Stevens, who is in Boston, and told him the injury didn't appear to be serious. #Celtics #TeamUSA
— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) September 3, 2019
Jayson Tatum said his ankle is already feeling better. He left arena wearing a shoe and didn't have a bad limp.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) September 3, 2019
Tatum got the start and played 31 minutes against Turkey, scoring 11 points and pulling down 11 rebounds for Team USA. New Celtics guard Kemba Walker scored 14 points, including five in overtime, to help lift Team USA to Tuesday's victory.