Here’s the Celtics’ schedule for the return of Jayson Tatum and more

On Tuesday, the NBA announced that a third straight game for the Boston Celtics will be postponed due to COVID-19 protocols – Wednesday’s contest against Orlando Magic.

The Celtics have now been forced to postpone games against the Magic, Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat due to positive test results and subsequent contact tracing. Boston is set to face Orlando again on Friday.

So will they have enough players? We can’t project anyone who might test positive or be forced into quarantine in the future, but we can make educated guesses about when players currently in quarantine might return based on the league’s COVID protocols. Here is an overview of the landscape.

Jayson tatum

Tatum tested positive on Friday, according to the Globe’s Gary Washburn. According to reports, it is asymptomatic.

Tatum immediately went into self-isolation and will need to be quarantined for 10 days, according to the league’s COVID protocols. Since he has tested positive, he will not be allowed to exercise during his quarantine, even in isolation. After completing quarantine, Tatum will have to undergo supervised individual training for two days before returning to court as long as he remains asymptomatic. If showing symptoms or being hospitalized, Tatum will need to undergo three days of supervised exercise before returning.

If Tatum continues to be asymptomatic, he could possibly restart individual training on Tuesday, but the extra two days would likely still hold him through next Wednesday’s Celtics game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Jaylen brown

Brown was sidelined due to contact with Tatum as part of the league’s contact tracing protocol. As of Tuesday night, it was unclear whether Brown had tested positive or not. If he didn’t, his first contact should be traced from Friday. Kevin Durant was forced to quarantine for seven days due to contact tracing. If Brown continues to test negative, he could be available again on Saturday.

Semi Ojeleye

Like Brown, Ojeleye’s contact tracing began on Friday. If he doesn’t test positive, he could be available again on Saturday.

Javonte Green

Along with Brown and Ojeleye, Green has been ruled out due to contact tracing with Tatum and could be available again on Saturday if he returns negative tests. He has now been forced into quarantine due to health and safety protocols twice this season.

Robert williams

Williams tested positive but was reportedly asymptomatic, meaning his trajectory should be the same as Tatum’s. Williams appeared to have tested positive on Thursday, which is when the Celtics called him ‘questionable’ on the injury report due to health and safety protocols (presumably the Celtics were awaiting a second positive test. , which would explain the designation “questionable”).

Due to the two additional days of supervised exercise required for an asymptomatic player with a positive test, Williams will not be available this weekend. If his positive test was Thursday, his second monitored exercise day would be Tuesday, which could – in theory – eliminate him before Wednesday’s game. That, of course, assumes that Williams feels good enough to play.

Grant williams

Williams was ruled out due to contact tracing with Robert Williams (by Gary Washburn, Grant and Robert Williams as well as Tristan Thompson were unmasked in a car with Carsen Edwards, who was wearing a mask). If Grant Williams does not test positive, and if Robert Williams tested positive on Thursday, Grant could be available again on Friday when the Celtics face the Orlando Magic.

Tristan thompson

Like Grant and Robert Williams, Thompson was deemed questionable on Thursday and then sidelined on Friday due to contact tracing. Like Grant Williams, he could be available on Friday which would help the Celtics form a roster.

An unnamed player

We don’t know who the final player is or if he’s absent due to a positive test or contact tracing. Presumably, however, the latter player was not part of Tatum’s contact tracing, as the Celtics were set to play Sunday’s game against the Heat with him (whoever he is) in the roster. On Monday afternoon, the anonymous player was sent off, which forced Tuesday’s postponement.

If we assume the player tested positive on Monday and is asymptomatic, his best case scenario for a comeback is January 24. If the player has been banned due to contact tracing and continues to test negative, he will be available again in January. 19.