VIDEO: Celtics' Jayson Tatum Seen Walking Without Limp Ahead of Team USA's Matchup With Japan

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum gave the fan base quite a scare when he rolled his ankle in the dwindling moments of Team USA's clash with Turkey in the FIBA World Cup group stages. Tatum went immediately into the locker room after sustaining the injury and did not return to the game, leaving Boston fans anxious that he may have suffered a potentially serious ailment (though his text to Brad Stevens assuaged some of those fears). That doesn't seem to be the case, fortunately, as the 21-year-old was seen walking without a limp ahead of Thursday's clash against Japan.

Tatum looked to be in good spirits, despite the fact that he wasn't active for the game, and it's certainly encouraging to see him sans-boot and walking without a hitch in his step.

Celtics fans will now hope that their franchise cornerstone can survive the rest of the Shanghai trip without picking up another knock. The new-look C's will be relying on Tatum as one of their key contributors, so having him go down with an injury in the offseason would be a worst-case scenario.

While Tatum preserves his ankle on the bench, Team USA handily took care of Japan, building up a 50-plus point lead. Rest up.