Out in the NBA’s health and safety protocol since Jan. 8 after a positive COVID-19 test and mostly asymptomatic case of the viral malady sidelined him, All-NBA small forward Jayson Tatum made his return against the Chicago Bulls on Monday night.
The St. Louis native looked like he’d hardly missed a beat — a few rusty shots and thinner frame aside — putting up 24 points and 5 rebounds on 10-of-21 shooting against the Bulls in the Celtics’ 119 – 103 winning road effort. And despite the lingering impact of the virus that sidelined him longer than two weeks, Tatum still managed a very solid performance overall.
Sharing that he felt tired late in the first half postgame, the Duke product still played a team-high 31 minutes, treating fans to the sort of electric plays they’ve become accustomed to seeing Tatum deploy against opponents.
Watch the video embedded above produced by Tomasz Kordylewski for yourself while we wait to hear the status of Wednesday’s contest against the San Antonio Spurs, with that team now dealing with its own contact tracing situation.
