Fantasy Basketball Impact: Shams Charania Comments On Jayson Tatum's Rehab
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In what many thought would be a season to forget for the Boston Celtics, they have shown no drop in play from a year prior despite not having their star, Jayson Tatum. The Celtics currently are the second seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 35-19. Helping back this impressive record has been the Celtics’ designated second scoring option for the last several season sJaylen Brown. In his 10th NBA season, Brown is averaging 29.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 4.7 APG. This type of play has resulted in Brown being named to his fifth All-Star game, and his name has also been thrown around in MVP conversations.
The Celtics' season outlook, once looking like it was aimed at the lottery, is now pointed sharply at claiming their second ring in four seasons. This becomes true with the current play of Brown and the player who finished fourth in MVP voting last season, Tatum, being ahead of schedule in his rehab.
Jayson Tatum Injury Update
Tatum is currently still recovering from a torn right Achilles tendon from the playoffs last season against the New York Knicks. An injury of this scale can often lead to the player who sustained it missing a full NBA season. In Tatum’s case, this may very well be true, but he certainly is doing everything he can to come back to action this season. He recently practiced in five-on-five activities with the Celtics G-League Team, the Maine Celtics. Tatum, following his participation recevied high reviews from Maine players, including point guard Ron Harper.
“He looked like Jayson Tatum. I’ll say that much, Harper said.
And while this is certainly a step in the right direction for Tatum in his rehab process, NBA Insider Shams Charania made sure to mention that there are several other things he will have to accomplish before returning to Boston’s rotation.
“ There are still boxes for Jayson Tatum to check. And at the end of all this, there’s going to be about a dozen people gathering and deciding and determining whether Jayson Tatum is 100% cleared medically and 100% cleared on a mental level.”
If Tatum were to return this season, here is some of the impact he would have on Celtcs player regarding their fantasy basketball stocks.
Fantasy Basketball Impact If Jayson Tatum Returns
With the magnitude of player that Tatum is, everybody’s averages across the board on Boston's roster would drop upon his return. Likely the most notable player whose statistics would drop would be Brown. This comes with him not being relied upon as much to score. Brown could likely maintain his role as the Celtics' number one option until Tatum gets enough games under his belt and proves he can still play at an All-NBA Level.
One borderline start and sit player that will likely become unplayable in fantasy with Tatum back is second-year wing Baylor Scheierman. In the Celtics' last four games, he has recorded two double-doubles–10 points and 13 rebounds against the Knicks and 15 points and 10 rebounds against the Houston Rockets. Scheierman started three out of four of these games and averaged 23.8 MPG. If Tatum returns, he will take Scheierman's starting spot, and although he has gotten his fair share of DNPs in his young NBA career, Scheierman could still see the floor. Just not enough for fantasy managers to use him in lineups.
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Gray Deyo is a Nashville-based sportswriter who graduated with a sports management bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He has covered prep sports, college sports, the WNBA, and the NBA for the past four years. In addition to writing for SI, Gray also currently contributes to Prep Girls Hoops