Jayson Tatum suffered an ankle injury during Team USA’s win over Turkey at the 2019 FIBA World Cup on Tuesday, and it looked like it had the potential to be at least somewhat serious. Fortunately, the Boston Celtics star got some good news after the game.
Tatum rolled his left ankle while throwing a no-look pass to Khris Middleton in the lane during overtime. He was helped off the court and could barely put weight on his left leg. Here’s a video:
Here's Jayson Tatum's ankle injury at the end of Team USA's win over Turkey. pic.twitter.com/IrUadQz1DE
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) September 3, 2019
It’s always concerning when you see players and coaches reacting the way they did, so it was good to hear that Tatum only suffered a sprain.
Official update on Jayson Tatum: sprained left ankle, will be re-evaluated tomorrow.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) September 3, 2019
Tatum has set some high expectations for himself heading into the 2019-20 season, and many are expecting him to break out now that Kyrie Irving is no longer with the Celtics. He has been playing for Team USA along with teammates Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown, but it would not be a surprise if we didn’t see Tatum again in the tournament.
Team USA was barely able to sneak by Turkey after the Turkish team missed four consecutive free throws with a chance to ice the game. USA won 93-92, but Tatum’s injury will be the biggest story from the game.
