What to make of Tatum’s encouraging update in Achilles surgery rehab originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
You knew Jayson Tatum wasn’t going to be laid up for long.
The Boston Celtics star underwent surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon on May 13, one day after suffering the devastating injury in a Game 4 second round loss to the New York Knicks. About a month and a half later, Tatum is back in the gym doing this:
The video, which Tatum shared on his Snapchat, shows the Celtics star doing a rather intense core workout while wearing a very large brace on his right leg.
This type of workout is an impressive milestone for Tatum at such an early stage of his rehab. It sounds like he’s been itching to reach that milestone, too; here’s what the All-Star forward wrote Friday on X regarding his recovery process:
“Day 45… this is some bulls—“.
Recovery from an Achilles injury can be very grueling, as several NBA players have missed entire seasons due to similar ailments before returning to action. Tatum has a few factors working in his favor, though; he’s just 27 years old and had surgery immediately following his injury, which should aid his recovery time.
In fact, the biggest challenge for the Celtics might be ensuring Tatum doesn’t get too aggressive in his rehab and try to return to action before he’s fully healthy. Boston already has traded Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis this offseason to get under the second apron of the NBA’s luxury tax, and if the team doesn’t look like a serious contender in 2025-26, it may not be worth trying to rush Tatum back for the end of the regular season.
President of basketball operations Brad Stevens recently suggested the Celtics have no intention of expediting Tatum’s return.
“We won’t put a projected timeline on him for a long, long time,” Stevens told reporters Wednesday. “As we look at it, there’s no reason to. It’s baby steps right now. He’s actually progressed great, but I don’t know what that means with regard to projected timelines.”
“And that’ll be in consultation with him and (trainers) Nick (Sang) and Phil Coles and everybody else to make sure when he hits the court, he is fully ready and fully healthy. And that will be the priority.”
Knowing Tatum, he’ll attack his rehab with full force and do everything he can to get back on the court as quickly as possible. But when Tatum can return to action versus when he should might be two different answers.
What to make of Tatum’s encouraging update in Achilles surgery rehab
The Celtics star is already back at it.
You knew Jayson Tatum wasn’t going to be laid up for long.
The Boston Celtics star underwent surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon on May 13, one day after suffering the devastating injury in a Game 4 second round loss to the New York Knicks. About a month and a half later, Tatum is back in the gym doing this:
SIGN UP HERE The video, which Tatum shared on his Snapchat, shows the Celtics star doing a rather intense core workout while wearing a very large brace on his right leg.
This type of workout is an impressive milestone for Tatum at such an early stage of his rehab. It sounds like he’s been itching to reach that milestone, too; here’s what the All-Star forward wrote Friday on X regarding his recovery process:
“Day 45… this is some bulls—“.
Recovery from an Achilles injury can be very grueling, as several NBA players have missed entire seasons due to similar ailments before returning to action. Tatum has a few factors working in his favor, though; he’s just 27 years old and had surgery immediately following his injury, which should aid his recovery time.
In fact, the biggest challenge for the Celtics might be ensuring Tatum doesn’t get too aggressive in his rehab and try to return to action before he’s fully healthy. Boston already has traded Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis this offseason to get under the second apron of the NBA’s luxury tax, and if the team doesn’t look like a serious contender in 2025-26, it may not be worth trying to rush Tatum back for the end of the regular season.
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President of basketball operations Brad Stevens recently suggested the Celtics have no intention of expediting Tatum’s return.
“We won’t put a projected timeline on him for a long, long time,” Stevens told reporters Wednesday. “As we look at it, there’s no reason to. It’s baby steps right now. He’s actually progressed great, but I don’t know what that means with regard to projected timelines.”
“And that’ll be in consultation with him and (trainers) Nick (Sang) and Phil Coles and everybody else to make sure when he hits the court, he is fully ready and fully healthy. And that will be the priority.”
Knowing Tatum, he’ll attack his rehab with full force and do everything he can to get back on the court as quickly as possible. But when Tatum can return to action versus when he should might be two different answers.
