Jayson Tatum: NBA iron man

In an era of load management and players missing extended periods of time due to injury, Jayson Tatum stands out as one of the most durable players in the NBA today.

Long regular seasons, deep playoff runs, and off-season international play almost every year of your career can put a lot of milage on the body. However, Jayson Tatum has done a great job of taking care of himself to be able to withstand playing every day and avoid any major injury (knock on wood). To really grasp how much basketball Tatum has played in his NBA career so far, let’s look at some numbers.

Out of a possible 580 games in his NBA career so far, Jayson Tatum has played in 536 of them. That is equal to 92% of games played for the Boston Celtics in the regular season. Since his rookie year in the 2017-18 season, Tatum’s 536 games played is ranked 7th in total games played, 17th in minutes per game at 34.3, and 2nd in total minutes played at 18,400.

With the Celtics being one of the best teams in the league over the course of his career, Tatum has been in the playoffs in every season and has amassed a total of 113 playoff games, the most by any player since the 2017-18 season.

Five of Tatum’s seven playoff runs have ended in the conference finals or the NBA Finals and it was never an easy road to get there. Tatum has been a part of seven Game 7s in his career facing off in grueling battles against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, and Philadelphia 76ers. In Game 7s, Jayson Tatum averages 26.7 PPG, 9.3 REB, and 5.1 AST and holds a 5-2 record.

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Tatum has also represented Team USA on the international stage, participating in the 2019 Fiba World Cup, 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and the 2024 Paris Olympics.

In 2019, Tatum was only able to play in two of the USA’s qualifying games due to injury, but he was the second leading scorer on the 2020 Team USA gold medal winning team, averaging 15.2 PPG on 49.3% FG% and 44.7% from three. Tatum didn’t have as big a role in the 2024 Olympics, but it still ended in his second gold medal.

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Tatum’s ability to stay healthy is a testament to the work he does with trainer Nick Sang. In the third episode of the Netflix Documentary “Starting 5,” Sang says, “eighty-two games plus a postseason can be pretty taxing.” He goes on to credit Tatum for not only focusing on the on-court aspect of his game, but also buying into the body work and appreciating the process of taking care of it.

Tatum goes on to say, “Nick has a direct impact on the success that I have on the court… I’ve been one of the most durable players since I’ve been in the NBA, and that is a testament to staying consistent.”

Without Jayson Tatum being as durable as he is, the Celtics might not have been able to find the same success they have. You can look at teams like the 76ers with Joel Embiid or the Clippers with Kawhi Leonard as examples of teams who have built around their super stars that, if they could stay healthy, would be perenial championship contenders like the Celtics.

Injuries are part of the game, but when you have a guy like Tatum who goes out there every day, it leads to a team building chemistry together and finding a rhythm so once the playoffs start, they can be at their best. Everyone knows the saying “the best ability is availability” and no other superstar has been more available for their team than Jayson Tatum.