Tatum returns to the lineup against Bulls in Chicago
Walker sits after playing Sunday
Jayson Tatum returned from a five-game coronavirus-related absence in Chicago on Monday night, and unlike fellow coronavirus patient Rob Williams — or the return of Kemba Walker, for that matter — he won’t have a specific minutes restriction.
That’s undoubtedly fortunate, since Walker was allowed to rest his troublesome knee on the second half of a back-toback swing.
“He’s not on a minutes restriction, per se, but we’re going to monitor those appropriately,” coach Brad Stevens said of Tatum. “Obviously we’re not going to get into the high 30s or 40 with him tonight. The way that he came back, we knew he wasn’t going to be able to play a back-to-back coming off of the two weeks. So he played basically a simulated game on Saturday to basically get some of those minutes back, so we don’t have to restrict him quite as much.”
Beyond one practice, the Celtics coach admittedly hasn’t seen his star forward work out.
“I mean, I only saw him play that one day. I’d be lying if I said that I knew,” Stevens said of Tatum’s fluidity or lack of the same. “He said the first day he could feel it from a wind standpoint, but that was Wednesday. So he’s had several days since then to get his shots up and work.”
Rare form for Brown
However high Jaylen Brown ascends this season — he averaged 29.4 points over the five games Tatum missed — the Celtics guard is already at the top of a truly rare list.
He became the highest-scoring player in league history in a 20-minute-or-less appearance with Sunday’s 33-point, 19-min