Jayson Tatum has shared bits and pieces throughout his rehab process, whether it’s him walking in a pool or other snippets. While he hasn’t said much publicly since rupturing his Achilles tendon in the playoffs, he’s continued to rehab his injury in the days since then.
C’s president Brad Stevens gave the latest update on Tatum’s rehab process. Stevens was on the broadcast Sunday as the Celtics faced the Knicks in Summer League play.
“He seems to be doing really well,” Stevens said. “It’s hard. Rehabbing is hard. Anybody that’s ever been through a long injury and a long recovery — it’s just a challenge. It’s a mental challenge, a physical challenge obviously. He got the surgery right away, and from that point on, his mindset is was: We are going after this thing and trying to get better."
Stevens declined to put a specific timeline on Tatum’s injury as it’s clear the organization doesn’t want to rush him back. The Pacers already ruled out Tyrese Haliburton for the 2025-26 season after the guard ruptured his own Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. But on the Celtics’ side, they’re not giving any indication on when Tatum will be back on the court.
Eventually, though, Tatum will be back at TD Garden wearing a Celtics jersey playing in a basketball game. The Celtics are realistically preparing for that moment when it comes to the roster. They had to trade off pieces this summer in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to shed salary. But they’ve kept future flexibility in the form of draft picks and other assets as the Celtics will be ready for whenever Tatum returns to the game.
“He’s a competitor,” Stevens said. “He’s going to be compete in everything he does, including his rehab. So I’m really encouraged. I’ve been basically seeing him every day in Boston over the last 50 days or whatever. Usually he goes away at the end of the season and comes back, but he’s just stayed there and has been doing his rehab. It’s been fun to spend time with him every day and just try to catch up and see how he’s doing as we watch him make the strides he needs to make.”
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