Will Jayson Tatum play in Game 5? That is the question that would have taken hold of the minds of Celtics fans after Game 4. Losing the key player of a team due to an injury can be harmful at any stage. For the playoffs, it can be downright disastrous. Jayson Tatum certainly placed the future of the Celtics at risk after he sustained a major wrist injury during Game 1 of the ongoing Celtics-Magic playoff series. Fortunately, the scare did not last for long, and the player was back after a 1-game absence. With the Celtics now holding a 3-1 win record, just one more win is needed to get the defending champions to the Western Conference Semi-Finals. Therefore, the team’s highest average scorer will be needed to put the final nail into the Orlando Magic’s coffin. Fortunately, from an injury front, nothing is going to stop the player.

During the post-game interview after the recent Celtics-Magic game, Jayson Tatum was asked about his wrist injury. Tatum revealed, “I know what I’m dealing with, my team knows, um, how serious it is, but, uh, you know it’s that time of the year, you know. We all sacrificing our bodies and, um, you know, going through things, you know. It’s the playoffs, nobody, um, I doubt anybody feels 100%. Um, but you know, you step on that floor, you know, do what you can, give it your all, uh, and you know, just all about trying to figure out how to win”.

This means that while the Celtics star’s injury is not completely healed, the last thing he wants is to be benched. Jayson Tatum sustained the injury during Game 1, as 8:29 minutes remained in the 4th quarter. Tatum drove to the basket and, as he rose for a dunk attempt, he collided with Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. and forward Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. As a result, the 27-year-old hit the floor hard.

He immediately grabbed his right wrist, indicating that things weren’t right. However, head coach Joe Mazzulla wasn’t having any of it. Several people gathered around the player, but Mazzulla was heard telling the Celtics trainer not to go out to Tatum. Then, he shouted, with authority, for the player to “GET UP!”. When speaking about the incident later, Tatum recalled, “I wasn’t tripping. I wanted to get up. That s— was just a lot worse than Joe thought it was”.

Furthermore, he defended Mazzulla by stating that the coach’s ‘command’ came out of a place of “love”.

The right wrist injury was not enough to keep Jayson Tatum away from Game 3. Unfortunately, while he still scored 36 points, the Orlando Magic still took home the win by a 95-93 score. According to the Boston Celtics’ Injury Report, as highlighted by ESPN, Jayson Tatum’s name is not in the report at all, but Julius Randle’s is. Therefore, going into Game 5, Tatum will have to be careful about not underestimating Paolo Banchero and Co., while also looking to cover for Randle.

Things couldn’t get more exciting for Celtics fans as the team looks to lock down its victory. Having Tatum play will be a bonus. Who knows, if the player once again dominates, then we may get to see him redo the celebratory move passed down to him by a rookie.

Jayson Tatum credits Baylor Scheierman for the ‘wrist celly’ move: “people taking notice”

Before getting into his injury, Jayson Tatum discussed his ‘wrist celly’ after he was asked about it by a reporter. This was a reference to the 4th quarter, after Anthony Black whacked Jayson Tatum on his injured wrist, causing the player to fall again. In the next possession, Tatum took revenge by making a 3-pointer while 2 defenders were attempting to get to him. As he walked away, Tatum made a gesture by holding his injured right wrist, with his left hand, up in the air. As the reporters found out, the gesture was not the player’s invention.

“Shout out to the rook, man. Bailey (Baylor Scheierman), he came up with the celebration, when I hit a three,” said Tatum. “So, you know, uh, I think, you know, people taking notice and, you know, it’s a new thing, uh, for now”.

In his first NBA season, Baylor Scheirman has been fairing on an adequate level. During the regular season, he averaged 12.4 minutes over 31 games, started in 2, and averaged 3.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists. However, there were moments where he shone amongst the squad of defending champions.

His breakout performance came against the Philadelphia 76ers, back in March, when the rookie scored 15 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. This earned him praise from Tatum himself, who said, “His understanding of the game is very high. Very high IQ player — knows where to be on the floor spacing wise. He just has really good instincts”.

With teammates like these, who can be relied upon for both scoring and coming up with celebratory gestures, Game 5 will be an interesting watch.