The Celtics coach dismissed Tatum's thinking that his potential basketball comeback this season might disrupt the Celtics' success.
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla revealed that there is nothing to worry about Jayson Tatum's ongoing injury recovery.
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"There's been zero setback," Mazzulla said in his appearance on the Zolak & Bertrand show (via Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston). "He's progressing naturally. And I just our sports science team and he's got a great team around him and really just trusting that process. But he's checking boxes and there are checkpoints, obviously, that you have to go through a rehab process and he's hitting those and continuing to work.
"And that's the only thing that I check in on and care about is, where is he at as a person, throughout this process. And at the same time, where is he at from a rehab standpoint and how can we make it easier."
The work continues for Tatum after suffering from a torn Achilles tendon in last year's NBA Playoffs. And based on previous reports, he's been progressing well in attacking his rehab.
In the wake of his promising direction, Tatum initially aimed for a potential return this season. But recently, things have intriguingly changed as it was announced that the superstar is now re-evaluating his desired plans.
In a recent podcast appearance, Tatum openly expressed doubts if he needs to come back and play this 2025-26 season for Boston. The Celtics have found shocking success without him and are currently at No. 3 in the East standings with a 29-18 record (tied with the New York Knicks).
"I look at disruption as a positive," Mazzulla said about Tatum arguing that his return might disrupt the Celtics' solid season. "Just making a comeback and just make us better. And so, I think it's two things. One, I think as you go through an injury and a process like this, 1,000 things are going to come up. And I think one of the greatest things about a guy like Jayson is his openness and his vulnerability and his honesty about where he's at as a player and a person. And so I think you have to reward that. And those are just natural things. But the second piece is he knows that, if we get him back, we're just gonna be a better team. And there's just no if and or buts about that.
"You should never be just worried about disrupting in a negative way. He'll be disrupting in a positive way because he'll just make us better on both ends of the floor. And already add to what we've been able to build here this season."
Regardless of what might be Tatum's final say, Mazzulla and the Celtics have expressed their full support to the franchise star, noting that they are fully trusting the entire healing process and recovery.
"The mindset has been relatively consistent, where it has been the entire season," he said about Tatum and the Celtics' mindset for a potential return. "We don't know yet. It was never a yes, it was never a no. It was: Let's work as hard as you can, trusting the sports science team, trusting his development, whether it's in the weight room, on the training table, then put yourself in the best possible position to be as healthy as you can be and then reevaluate it."
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