Boston Celtics, Jayson Tatum, Celtics injury report, Jayson Tatum injury / Jason Miller/GettyImages
For the better part of the last decade, the NBA has been obsessed with load management. Perhaps it was led by the LA Clippers, whose star duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George barely got the chance to play together. Stephen Curry's ankle injuries, the star-studded Brooklyn Nets, and plenty of LeBron James-led teams ran into this as well. The same can be said for the Boston Celtics.
Al Horford has been load managing since re-joining the Celtics in 2021. The same can be said for Kristaps Porzingis after all of his injury woes. Even Jrue Holiday is doing a bit of load managing this season. But the Celtics' top stars don't do that. Especially not Jayson Tatum.
It's what makes him the best brand of superstar.
Tatum was listed as questionable heading into the Celtics' game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, December 6, but in the afternoon leading up to the game, he was upgraded to available.
He sat out on Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons, and while the Celtics got a win, he was likely unhappy with the decision for him not to play. In the past, Tatum has been very vocal about how much he dislikes sitting out, and that makes him a superstar fans should love.
As guys like Joel Embiid, Kawhi Leonard, Devin Booker, LeBron James, and others around the league deal with load management, Tatum doesn't. Even Giannis Antetokounmpo has to make sure he doesn't get injured.
But the brand of superstars who love to play and don't have to manage injuries are the best, most dependable kind. Players like Tatum, Nikola Jokic, and Jalen Brunson are ready to roll almost every single night.
This isn't meant to disparage the players who have to sit out. Some of them are dealing with legitimate injuries. Embiid and Leonard have dealt with chronic injuries his whole career, Booker was hurt last year, and James is nearing 40. But that doesn't change the fact that they have to load manage.
They are all incredible players capable of leading their teams to the playoffs and beyond, but there's a certain advantage that comes with being a 75-plus-game player.
That's exactly what Tatum is. (Or at least what he tries to be before the Celtics make him sit out some games.)
Having a franchise player who wants to play every single night and doesn't have to deal with injury issues is a true blessing for the Celtics, and it's why Tatum is the best type of superstar in the NBA.