Jayson Tatum says he’s still dealing with effects of COVID-19
It’s been over two and a half month since Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum returned to the Boston lineup following a bout with COVID-19 that left him sidelined for 17 days.
But it’s something that’s still bothering the 23-year-old.
Tatum described his recovery as ‘very close’ to being 100 percent, which is certainly encouraging to say the least. Tatum made it a point to note that he’s feeling much better now than he did a month ago. But he’s absolutely not out of the woods yet and back to his old self, clearly, as Tatum also noted that his pregame routine now includes an inhaler.
“It takes a long time,” Tatum, who was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week earlier this week, said of his recovery from the coronavirus. “I take an inhaler before the game since I’ve tested positive. This has kind of helped with that and opened up my lungs, and, you know, I never took an inhaler before. So that’s something different.
“There’s no exact timetable [to stop using the inhaler]. Just when I feel comfortable enough and don’t think I need it.”
The good news for the Celtics is Tatum’s inhaler hasn’t appeared to limit his on-court game to any sort of noticeable degree, as he’s scored at least 20 points in seven straight games, including a 53-point effort against Minnesota last week and a 32-point performance in Tuesday’s victory over the Blazers.
And Tatum’s recent surge has been the Green’s surge, as the Celtics have wins four straight (and in six of their last seven games overall), and currently sit in the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, at 29-26.
The Celtics will visit Los Angeles for a head-to-head with the Lakers on Thursday night.
