Jayson Tatum Effortlessly Scores 24 In Return From COVID
By Matthew Geagan, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- After a bout with COVID-19 that had him away from his Celtics team for over two weeks, Jayson Tatum made his return Monday night. The 22-year-old showed very little signs of rust in his 31 minutes of action in Boston's 119-103 victory.
Tatum effortlessly put in 24 points while stuffing the rest of the stat sheet with five rebounds, four assists and a block. He knocked down 10 of his 21 shot attempts, including a 3-of-6 showing from behind the arc.
Boston's superstar said he felt comfortable throughout his time on the court, though he did feel a tad bit winded after his first stint. That was to be expected after missing over two weeks of game action with little practice time ahead of his return.
"You can work out and try to emulate and NBA game but it's tough. I felt pretty good for the most part," Tatum said after the win. "Second half I was fine. First stint I was pretty tired but I got my second wind and felt pretty comfortable."
Jayson Tatum was indeed back for the Celtics, though most of us had an inkling that he would be back to normal in no time. But as is the case whenever anyone contracts COVID, there were certainly concerns over the last 17 days.
Tatum tested positive on Jan. 9, just hours after the Celtics had dispatched the Washington Wizards at TD Garden. He said that he had a pretty mild case of COVID, and only felt the effects for one night.
"The first night I found out I had a really bad headache and a high temperature, some body aches and chills. But thankfully it was just the first night and after that I felt completely fine," he said. "I was just at home, resting and watching these guys play."
He said his battle was more on the mental side, and that lasted longer than the symptoms that he experienced.
"Mentally, I can't even lie, it's tough. Especially your initial reaction once you find out. I don't know if it's panic, but you definitely worry because of everything you read about and hear, how many people it has affected or didn't make it," said Tatum. "Especially the first four days or so, for lack of better words, it bothered me. I was on my mind, thinking, 'Do I feel OK? Do I not feel OK? Can I smell this? Does my chest hurt or am I just overthinking?' You're on lockdown for two weeks, so mentally it can be tough."
Stuck at home, Tatum said he went from being a star player for the Celtics to a super-fan on his couch. A super-fan with an intimate knowledge of everything Celtics. He didn't turn into one of those fans who yells at their TV or jumps around with every make or miss, but he did say there was some armchair coaching going on during his time away.
"I kind of watch it from a different lens, knowing so much about our team, knowing what play we're about to run and what we could have done or what we could do better," he said. "I'm not animated, but I'm definitely thinking when I'm watching."
But those days are behind him now, and Tatum is back to pouring in points for the Celtics. His shot was as smooth as it was back on Jan. 8 against the Wizards, and that was evident early in the first quarter. After missing his first shot of the night, Tatum dropped seven straight points for Boston. It all started with a nice isolation step-back fade, similar to his game-winning shot against Detroit in December. He followed with a powerful drive to the hoop, going up and under for two against a pair of Bulls defenders. He capped off his mini-run with a pullup three to force a Chicago timeout.
With Jaylen Brown (26 points) and Tatum now both commanding their share of attention, the floor will really open for everyone else. It was a nice luxury for Brad Stevens on Monday night, and he took full advantage just before halftime. With one final possession before the break, the coach called upon Tatum to take the floor. The forward promptly set up a last-second layup for big man Daniel Theis and the Celtics led by 10 heading into the locker room.
And when the Bulls were making things a bit uncomfortable late in the game, he turned a Bulls turnover into a triple to get Boston's lead back up to 15.
Yeah, it felt real good to see Tatum again Monday evening. Boston's win was its second straight, and it improved the Celtics to a respectable 10-6 on the season.
But most importantly, the franchise player is back, and he didn't miss a beat in his return.
