Jayson Tatum isn’t sugarcoating the toll his injury has taken. In a recent update, the Boston Celtics star reflected on what’s been a grueling recovery process, calling the early stages of his rehab the hardest stretch of his entire life. With the walking boot finally off, Tatum says he’s starting to see progress, but the road back has been anything but easy.
“Rehab is tedious, man,” Tatum said, in a video for the NBA’s socials. “It’s six days a week. It’s starting to get a little bit better. I’m out of the boot now. Better days ahead, but just trying to take it one day at a time. You got to be resilient. That first six weeks of this was probably the toughest six weeks of any point in my life. Just had to accept it and realize it happened, and now I gotta do everything in my power to get back to who I was and get back to playing.”
Tatum, 27, is an NBA veteran and 6x All-Star. He’s also a champion after leading the Celtics to victory in the 2024 Finals. With averages of 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game last season, he was having his best season yet, trying to bring a second straight title to Boston.
If not for rupturing his Achilles tendon in the Eastern Conference Semis against the Knicks, he might have been successful in his quest. But once the severity of his injury was known, the Celtics began to prepare right away for a long and grueling recovery process.
With slim chances for a title run next season, the Celtics traded away Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday to lighten their payroll and preserve their financial flexibility for the future. Now, with Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard leading the way, expectations have been adjusted accordingly.
The good news is, the Celtics haven’t ruled out a return for Tatum next season. While most serious Achilles injuries can take 9-12 months to recover, Tatum is making quick progress, and there are rumblings that he may be able to return at some point in 2026.
For now, the rehab process is still ongoing, and it hasn’t exactly been an easy process for the 5x All-NBA athlete. He had to endure weeks of limited mobility in a boot, serving as a constant reminder of his current state. At least now he’s free from the boot and has accepted his situation. All that’s left to do now is work his way back to full strength so he can take the Celtics on a deep playoff run.
