BOSTON — As the Celtics go through a summer of roster changes, behind the scenes, their two stars are rehabbing their own injuries. Jayson Tatum’s ruptured Achilles tendon has been well-documented as he’s expected to miss most of next season, if not all of it. Jaylen Brown also got knee surgery after playing on a partially torn meniscus during the playoffs.
C’s president Brad Stevens gave an update on the two stars Wednesday following the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. While their respective rehab process is of varying lengths, it sounds like both of them are consistently at the Auerbach Center to make sure they’re getting as much treatment as they can.
“Jayson has been here pretty much every day and then Jaylen traveled a little bit before he got the surgery and has been back most of the time after, and he’s doing great,” Stevens said. “His rehab looks good. He was actually on the court the other day doing some ball-handling and light work around the rim, nothing big movement-wise yet. But I think his timeline, again, we said be ready for training camp, and I think he’ll probably be going full well ahead of that.
“So, we’ll see. So we’ve seen both those guys very frequently. Jaylen’s been here working with Drew Moore on all his rehab, and Jayson with Nick (Sang). It’s usually the time of year I don’t see those guys a lot. They usually rest and get away. But they both prioritize getting better and rehabbing, and after a long season, I appreciate that about them.”
Brown is expected to be ready for training camp, so there’s no long-term concern with him. The 2024 NBA Finals MVP toughed out his knee issues as it was clear he wasn’t fully healthy during the Celtics’ playoff run. Originally, the Celtics star mulled over whether to get surgery or not, ultimately deciding to get the operation.
Tatum’s ruptured Achilles tendon, suffered against the Knicks, changed the equation for the franchise. As Stevens pointed out, their biggest challenge is that their perennial first-team All-NBA talent is walking around in a boot. It’s also partly why the Celtics made their trades this past week, dealing Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. Stevens wasn’t permitted to comment on either move as they’re not official yet.
For now, the Celtics are moving on with their offseason. The front office likely still has some moves coming even though they’ve dipped under the second apron. But, as expected, Tatum and Brown will continue their rehab process behind the scenes in preparation for next season and beyond.
“We won’t put a projected timeline on him for a long, long time,” Stevens said of Tatum. “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 Nick and Phil Coles and everybody else to make sure he is, when he hits the court, he is fully ready and fully healthy. And that will be the priority.”