BOSTON – Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum said he is still dealing with the aftermath of COVID-19, more than a month after he initially tested positive for the virus.
“I think it affects your breathing a little bit,” Tatum said Tuesday afternoon after the team’s shooting practice before hosting the Denver Nuggets. “I’ve been in a few races where, I don’t want to say (I) had trouble breathing, but, you know, you tire much faster than usual.
“Just running up and down the track a few times makes it easier to get out of breath or get tired more quickly. I’ve noticed that since getting COVID. It’s something I’m working on.
“It has improved since the first game I played, but I still manage from time to time.”
Tatum, who has averaged 25.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 21 games this season, missed five games in addition to the entire week – the Celtics were retired for not having enough players available to play – after he tested positive for COVID. -19 early January.
And since returning to Chicago on Jan. 25, his numbers are significantly lower than before he fell ill. In the 10 games that Tatum played before he missed, he averaged 26.9 points from 47.4 percent shooting total and 43.8 percent from 3-point range. In the 11 games he has played since returning, he has averaged 24.5 points per game out of a total of 42.7 percent and 36.5 percent against a three-point reach.
In those games since his return, Tatum’s minutes have also increased slightly, going from 34.6 minutes per game before to 36 minutes later.
Tatum said he’s been talking to Celtics coach Brad Stevens about how he feels, saying it’s not something consistent that he deals with. Instead, it’s something that comes and goes that he tries to cope with while playing a terse NBA schedule, averaging 35.3 minutes per game, his career high.
“It’s something we’ve been talking about,” Tatum said. “And it’s not like it happens in every game and I don’t feel it in the whole game. It’s just certain parts where the breathing gets a little out of control and I talk to the medical and technical staff about it.” it has improved from the first game i came back and played.
“I think it’s a long process. I’ve talked to other guys who’ve had it and they say they’ve been through the same thing and it’s only going to get better with time. But no matter how many times we play, I think it will. takes a while longer. “
Entering Tuesday night’s game against Denver, Boston has lost four of the last five games and seven of the last 10, down to .500 on the season. Much of that stretch has come without the help of winger Marcus Smart, who remains with a calf load. That contributes to star guard Kemba Walker who is only available for half of the games in a row due to his persistent knee problems, and the continued absence of sophomore wing Romeo Langford, who has yet to play this season due to a wrist surgery that was performed. of the season.
As a result, Stevens has relied heavily on Tatum and Jaylen Brown, his two young stars, to take over. While Tatum is dealing with the lingering effects of COVID-19, Brown recently missed two games with knee tendonitis.
Stevens said balancing the minutes is a tough challenge when the team is struggling as it is and dealing with a lack of depth at the wing.
Sometimes my 15-year-old son asks me when I get home, ‘Hey, you can, you know, why isn’t Tatum here? Why isn’t Brown here? “Because at some point they have to sit down,” laughed Stevens before Sunday’s loss in Washington. ‘You can’t play those guys 48 minutes a game every night, can you? So you balance that.
“We have to do everything we can, as you said, to manage the big overview and the game ourselves. And that’s a challenge. That’s a real challenge when you’re a team that’s actually a .500 team, and you come and go, and you don’t necessarily fall behind, you don’t really create separation, you just are, you know, you’re one of many.
“But I’ll say this: it’s a lot easier to find that balance if you have 10 games over 0.500, or if you have 15 games over 0.500 or whatever. But it’s something we take into account. must keep. “