“So, it’s not like JT’s playing, and they’re like, ‘Oh, I’m going to get more shots tonight,’ like that should never be the case” As Payton Pritchard highlighted in the aftermath of the Pistons win, the Celtics squad knows to give their best even in Jayson Tatum’s absence. Despite this, having the team’s leading scorer on their side only helps to increase the team’s odds. Therefore, having been absent for 2 of the Celtics’ last 4 games now, the small forward/power forward’s availability against the Washington Wizards would provide insight into whether he has recovered enough to be consistent on the court for the remainder of the season. Fortunately, any fans awaiting Tatum’s return have nothing but good news coming their way.

Recently, the official X account of Underdog NBA gave an update on the Boston Celtics’ Injury Report. According to it, Jayson Tatum is no longer present on the list! This means that, unless some other issue occurs, the upcoming matchup will fully guarantee the player’s availability. To add to the good news, only one player is present on the Celtics Injury Report. Al Horford, who last played against the Pistons, has now been sidelined because of a yet undisclosed reason. Since he was the secondary Center anyway, the Celtics won’t be without any of their five starters in the upcoming game.

It was earlier this month when Jayson Tatum’s right patella tendinopathy forced him to be absent from a matchup. After appearing in the next two games against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Memphis Grizzlies, the player’s continued trouble with the ailment caused him to be sidelined for the recent Pistons game too. Now, being absent from the report, it seems that his troubles with the right patella tendinopathy finally seem over. At least for now. Furthermore, given the Celtics’ current 9-1 record against the Washington Wizards, Tatum’s chances of securing a win right after his return seem to be quite good.

Speaking of the Washington Wizards, their condition is certainly worse than the Celtics. After all, they have not 1, but 6 players listed as ‘OUT’ for the upcoming game! Not just any players, but 2 starters, 2 secondary players, and 2 tertiary players. Continuing to recover from his rib injury, Kyle Kuzma will miss his 7 consecutive game. Meanwhile, Malcolm Brogdon’s hamstring ailment will keep him ‘OUT’ for the 4 consecutive game. Both will continue holding the same status held by Corey Kispert, Kyshawn George, Tristan Vukcevic, and Saddiq Bey.

In light of these updates, both teams will have to make changes to their starting lineups for the upcoming game.

What will the starting lineup for the Celtics-Wizards game look like?

Al Horford’s absence means that Neemias Queta, Luke Kornet, and Xavier Tillman can be given increased responsibilities during the game. In light of this, the starting lineup for the Boston Celtics will look something like this:

Similarly, given the updates for the Washington Wizards, their starting lineup will look something like this:

The Boston Celtics or the Washington Wizards? Who will you be rooting for during the upcoming matchup? Let us know in the comments down below.