Jayson Tatum is looking for a speedy recovery after rupturing his Achilles tendon during the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks.
Tatum sustained the injury in May, undergoing surgery to repair the ruptured tendon shortly after. The Celtics star is projected to be out for most of next season due to the injury.
While it’s a long and hard rehab process, Tatum is already working in a pool to strengthen his legs.
He also looked to his friend Kevin Durant for some advice on how to go about his ruptured Achilles tendon. Durant sustained a torn Achilles tendon during the 2019 NBA Finals, leading him to miss the following season.
Tatum wasn’t the only one to reach out to Durant, with Damian Lillard, who also suffered an Achilles injury during the NBA Playoffs, asking Durant for advice.
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“Of course, JT and (Lillard) hit me up, I feel like I’m the Achilles guy,” Durant told LeBron James and Steve Nash on the “Mind The Game” podcast. “I think both of those dudes have shown time and time again that they’re going to continue to elevate as individuals and as players. It’s a grind, man.”
After missing a full season, Durant did make a full recovery and had a strong bounceback. The 36-year-old admitted that the injury will change their body, but with some adjustments, they will come back from it.
“Your game and your body is going to for sure change,” Durant said. “When you tear your Achilles, your calf muscle goes to nothing. You sit around for three months and you can’t move your calf. If you look at mine now, my right is smaller than my left.”
The NBA star has full confidence that both Lillard and Tatum will make a full recovery.
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“Once you get confidence, because I threw myself back out there too. As soon as I could hoop, I was playing,” Durant said. “Once they throw themselves out there, those guys are going to be alright.”