Jayson Tatum reveals he played through non-displaced wrist fracture during playoffs

“In the playoffs, there was a play against Milwaukee in Game 3. I dunked it, Giannis (Antetokounmpo) chased me down and he fouled me, and I fell into the crowd. That was the most painful it’s been since the day I hurt it. I ended up getting a cortisone shot in my wrist that night.

“After each game, I would have to wear a brace to shootaround, and I would take it off before the cameras saw me. Pregame, taking my nap, I’d have to put it back on.”

Tatum added that no one outside of the organization knew that he was dealing with an injury.

Interestingly, in Game 3 against Milwaukee, Tatum shot 4-of-19 and scored just 10 points. That certainly aligns with the thought that he was in a lot of pain after aggravating the issue. It might also explain what many saw as a poor NBA Finals performance against Golden State, where Tatum averaged 21.5 points, over six points below his season average.

Tatum was particularly scrutinized for his showing in Game 6. Perhaps things would have been different had he been fully healthy at that time.