Boston’s Jayson Tatum speaks on his COVID recovery, inhaler use after Blazers win

The Missourian opened up on how his health had been impacting his play — and still does.

It’s been no secret that Boston Celtics star small forward Jayson Tatum has been struggling with the after-effects of COVID-19 for much of the season, and has only in recent weeks looked more like the player we saw rise to national prominence with his All-NBA play of the 2019-20 season.

But now the St. Louis native has been pouring in the buckets, erupting into a historic, 53-point outing against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and rolling through opposing defenses like a hot knife through butter. Speaking to the press after his latest wreaked havoc on the Portland Trail Blazers, Tatum was asked whether he felt 100% yet regarding those lingering effects.

“Close,” he replied. “Very close.”