Boston Celtics Get Bad News After Four Off-Days Going Into Pistons Showdown

Getty

Jayson Tatum

Life has been good for the Boston Celtics so far this season, slightly more than a quarter of the way through the 2024-2025 campaign. At 19-5 they are tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder for second-best record in the league, and they sit just 1 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Celtics’ net rating — that is, average scoring difference per 100 possessions — of +9.3 ranks third in the league while their offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) of 120.2 sits just two-tenths of a point behind the league-leading, 21-4 Cleveland Cavaliers and is tied for second overall with the New York Knicks.

In other words, the Celtics don’t have much to complain about as they head toward Christmas, often considered the turning point for most teams in the NBA season. But even though they are coming off a much-needed four days of rest without a game, the defending NBA champions got a dose of bad news heading into their return to action on Thursday.

Celtics Superstar May See Rare Missed Game With Injury

The Celtics released their injury report prior to the team’s scheduled home game against the 10-15 Detroit Pistons on December 12 and this team if featured a prominent name — Jayson Tatum, the biggest star and most important player on Boston’s team filled with star players.

Tatum was one of four players on the Celtics injury report. He was listed as “questionable” for the game with right patella tendiopathy. That’s basically inflammation and soreness in the right knee caused by the repetitive motion of jumping — which is why the injury is sometimes called “jumper’s knee.” If ignored, patella tendiopathy can lead to a more serious injury such as a torn tendon. But the condition can be alleviated with rest and anti-inflammatory medications.

For Tatum, this has been a recurring condition. It caused him to sit out the Celtics’ December 4 home matchup against the Pistons, a game that the Celtics won, 130-120. The previous Pistons game marked the only time that Tatum has sat out for an entire game all season.

The Celtics have relied more heavily on Tatum this season than they did in their championship run of 2023-2024. According to the NBA data site Cleaning the Glass, the Celtics have averaged 8.7 more points when Tatum is on the court — a stat known as “on-off differential” — than when he sits.

Tatum is now playing his eighth season, and in every season of his career except one, the Celtics have been better with Tatum on the court than off. The only season when the Celtics averaged fewer points in Tatum minutes than in non-Tatum minutes was the last one — the season when Boston won its 18th championship banner and first since 2008. Even then, the Celtics averaged just two fewer points in Tatum “on” minutes.

Three Other Celtics Listed as Injured

The Celtics are facing the Pistons for the second time in eight days for the same reason that they just enjoyed four days off. Both are scheduling quirks caused by Boston’s failure to qualify for the knockout rounds of the NBA Cup, formerly called the “In-Season Tournamnent.” With the NBA focusing maximum attention on the Cup elimination games this week, non-qualifying teams are allowed to stay home and take a prolonged breather.

Those team then have two games added to their schedule, to bring the season total to 82. For the Celtics, those new games will come against the Pistons on Thursday night, and the Washington Wizards on Sunday.

Tatum was the only member of Boston’s starting five on the injury report. Rotation depth players Sam Hauser and Jordan Walsh were listed as “doubtful” and “questionable” respectively, and end-of-bench player Jaden Springer was listed as “questionable” with a non-COVID illness.