Jayson Tatum’s Playing Status for Pistons-Celtics on Thursday

Will Jayson Tatum face the Pistons on Thursday?

Feb 15, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) during the first half against the Detroit Pistons at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

On Thursday night, the Detroit Pistons and the Boston Celtics are set to battle it out once again. For Boston, they were in danger of potentially missing their All-Star forward for the action.

According to the NBA’s official injury report, Jayson Tatum was questionable due to right patella tendinopathy.

On Thursday afternoon, the Celtics decided to rule out Tatum against the Pistons.

Celtics Injury Report Update vs. Detroit tonight:

Sam Hauser - Right Adductor Strain - OUT
Jaden Springer - Illness (Non-Covid) - OUT
Jayson Tatum - Right Patella Tendinopathy - OUT
Jordan Walsh - AVAILABLE

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) December 12, 2024

For the most part, Tatum has been quite healthy for Boston this year. Since making his season debut with the team on its opening night on October 22, Tatum competed in the Celtics’ first 21 games of the 2024-2025 NBA season.

Over that stretch, the star forward averaged 28 points per game on 45 percent shooting from the field. Taking over ten threes per game, Tatum has been knocking down his long-range shots at a 37 percent clip.

Along with his scoring, the star forward has dished out six assists per game while coming down with nine rebounds per outing.

On December 4, Tatum missed his first set of action for the season. His first absence came against the Pistons. Despite missing Tatum for the night, the Celtics dominated Detroit with a ten-point win.

After missing that early December action, Tatum returned to the court for Boston two nights later to take on the Milwaukee Bucks. He was back for a 37-minute shift, helping the Celtics take down the Bucks with a six-point win.

On the following night, Tatum was on the floor again for nearly 38 minutes. He produced 17 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists in the six-point win over the Memphis Grizzlies.