Jayson Tatum showed up on the injury report Saturday afternoon with left knee soreness, roughly six hours before the Boston Celtics were set to host the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.
The timing was jarring. A Game 7 at home, the season on the line, and the team's best player listed as questionable. ESPN reported the addition was a late one, added well after the morning roster submissions teams typically file.
Tatum is the engine of Boston's offense. Without him at full strength, or at all, the Celtics would face enormous pressure on the rest of their roster to carry a winner-take-all game against a 76ers team that has already pushed the defending conference champions to the brink.
The left knee designation did not specify how Tatum sustained the soreness or when it first became an issue. No timeline for a decision on his availability was immediately provided.
Game 7 was scheduled for Saturday night in Boston.
