John Raoux/Associated Press
Boston Celtics and Team USA forward Jayson Tatum will miss Tuesday’s international scrimmage vs. Argentina with right knee soreness, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
The 23-year-old was forced to exit the Celtics’ Game 2 loss to the Brooklyn Nets in their first-round playoff series after being accidentally poked in the eye by Nets superstar Kevin Durant.
“He went back out on the court [and] tried to readjust to the light out there, and he was really struggling,” Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said after the contest. “He got scratched pretty good. It looks pretty red, it looks pretty swollen to me.”
Tatum appeared in 66 of the team’s 72 games during the regular season and has been mostly durable since the franchise selected him with the third overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft.
The Duke product averaged career-high totals in points (26.4), rebounds (7.4) and assists (4.3) during the 2020-21 campaign.
He’s also a key component for a United States men’s national team that has shockingly lost its first two exhibitions matchups ahead of the Tokyo Olympics to Nigeria and Australia. Despite those struggles, the United States doesn’t lack for depth and shouldn’t have much issue replacing Tatum’s production.
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