Celtics’ Payton Pritchard Shrugs Off Concerns About Playing With Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum hasn’t stepped onto the court this season, as he is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. But he might be reconsidering his return altogether.
Tatum appeared on ‘The Pivot Podcast’ hosted by Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor on Tuesday, where he expressed his desire not to disrupt the team’s dynamic.
“That’s something I contemplate every day, Tatum said on if he wants to return this season, via CelticsBlog Ian Inangelo. “More so about the team, if or when I do come back this season, they would have played 50-some odd games without me, so they have an identity this year, or things they’ve felt that have clicked for them, and it’s been successful.
“So there’s a thought in my head that is like, how does that work? How does that look for me to integrate after an injury? And it is a thought like, ‘Do I come back or should I wait?’ In the last two weeks or so, I contemplate every single day.”
Even though Tatum believes he might risk altering the Celtics’ identity by coming back this season, guard Payton Pritchard isn’t overly worried about it.
“No, because we played with him before, so it’s not like some player that got hurt, and we never played with him before, so we know what he likes and how he plays, and we can play off him,” Pritchard said Friday on whether there will be difficulty playing with Tatum if he comes back.
Tatum is one of the top players in the NBA, and it would be a shame if he didn’t get on the court this season. His presence would only make Boston stronger. If he can get close to being 100% healthy, the Celtics could definitely be a serious contender in the Eastern Conference.