NBA legend Charles Barkley had a lot to say in the aftermath of Jayson Tatum’s latest season-ending injury. In a segment on ‘Inside the NBA,’ Barkley gave his honest reaction to the news and offered some words of wisdom to the young Boston Celtics star.
“First call I would make is to Kevin Durant. It’s [he’s] six years removed from the time he blew out his Achilles, and he’s still a hell of a player. So that’s the first person I would call, and say ‘tell me what happens with the rehab,’ but the best experience is somebody who’s already experienced it before.”
The basketball world is still in shock after the news that Jayson Tatum has suffered a torn Achilles tendon. The moment happened late in the Celtics’ loss to the Knicks on Monday, after Tatum dropped 42 points, eight rebounds, and four assists on 57.1% shooting.
Jayson had to be helped off the floor and was escorted to the locker room in a wheelchair. While the official diagnosis did not come until today, fans and experts feared the worst, and now it’s been confirmed as a ruptured right Achilles tendon.
Thus begins a long recovery process for Jayson Tatum, who was having one of the best seasons of his career with averages of 26.8 points, 87 rebounds, and 60 assists per game on 45.2% shooting. It remains to be seen if he’ll ever be the same again, but Kevin Durant already has the blueprint for a complete redemption.
Like Tatum, Durant also ruptured his right Achilles, and it came at the very end of the season. After playing for just one game in the 2019 Finals, Durant went down on a non-contact play, and it was the last time we ever saw him in a Warriors jersey.
Fortunately, Durant made a full recovery. After missing one whole season, he returned in the 2020-21 campaign (at 32 years old) better than ever. In 35 games that season, he averaged 26.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game on 53.7% shooting.
Even in his latest season with the Suns, Durant turned in an elite performance with averages of 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game on 52.7% shooting. Somehow, Durant didn’t lose a step after his Achilles injury, and if Tatum wants similar results, he should be replicating whatever process Durant used to get to full strength. The good news for Tatum is that he’s even younger than Durant was, which means that he has an even better chance at making a full recovery.
At this point, there’s nothing more to be done but wait for Tatum’s surgery and hope for the best. The sooner they finish that, the sooner Tatum can begin his rehab and get back to full strength for the Celtics.
As for the rest of the roster, it’s unlikely that they’ll have the same team again in two seasons, but as long as Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Kristaps Porzingis are on the team, they’ll be a formidable force in the East. For now, their focus is on the NBA playoffs, where they still have games to play in the Eastern Semifinals.
