The devastating Achilles injury Jayson Tatum suffered in Game 4 has weighed heavy on the minds of his Boston Celtics teammates.
Tatum underwent successful surgery to repair his ruptured Achilles on Tuesday, staying behind in New York to do so while the team — literally and figuratively — moved on without the Celtics star.
But Derrick White, who has a close bond with Tatum, still wanted to show his support to his teammate in some fashion, leading to White sending a thoughtful message for Tatum, who faces several months of a grueling rehab process ahead.
“Obviously, it’s tough to see,” White told reporters following Boston’s Game 5 win, per the Boston Herald’s Zack Cox. “I texted him. And that was kind of all I could do, really, was to text him. Just tell him that we believe in him and he’s going to have a great comeback from this setback. There’s really not much I can do, especially at this moment, but I’m going to support him throughout his whole journey, and I know he’s going to do whatever he needs to do to get back out there with us.”
White did his best to honor Tatum and channeled the Celtics star with his Game 5 performance. White was a catalyst in the 127-102 win, pouring in a game-high 34 points off seven 3-pointers.
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White got the job done in other areas, too. To go along with his hot-shooting hand, the 6-foot-4 guard went 9-for-11 from the free-throw line and also tallied three blocks. It was a unique stat line from White — one that has been done only two other times in NBA history, according to Cox — and one that was much-needed for the Celtics with Tatum sidelined.
“It’s not like someone can step and do what JT does at the level he does it,” White said. “So, we kind of have to play a little bit differently and just find ways to create offense, to rebound, just everything he does on the court. Everybody’s got to step up. We did that tonight, and we’ve got to try to find a way to win Game 6.”