A brutal injury cut Jayson Tatum’s playoff run with the Boston Celtics short, as the six-time NBA All-Star and 2024 champion ruptured his Achilles tendon during a postseason game against the New York Knicks.
The non-contact injury took Tatum out of his team’s lineup for the remainder of the playoffs, and they ultimately didn’t have enough to contend with a healthy Knicks lineup. It also brought a projected recovery timetable that has kept Tatum off the court for this latest season.
However, the Celtics superstar posted a new workout video clip on social media that has fans talking, considering the nature of his injury and the type of weight he is lifting.
Taking to his official Instagram Story on Monday, Tatum shared a video from the gym showing him performing a squat or deadlift move with a massive amount of weight loaded on the bar.
Celtics Talk writer Ian Inangelo shared a video on his X account showing Tatum lifting 405 lbs., prompting many fans to react to seeing him perform the feat.
“Impressive after Achilles with da trap bar,” an X commenter replied to the video post.
“JT see you sooner than later on the parquet!!!” another fan wrote on X.
“Making me nervous,” a fan said in an X comment.
“Yes, he's not coming back this year. lol,” a fan commented on X.
“i think hes being smart considering waiting until next year that right leg looks noticeably thinner,” another fan wrote.
Tatum’s new workout update arrives eight months after he underwent surgery to repair his ruptured Achilles tendon. While it seemed his injury might derail the Boston Celtics’ plans of competing in the Eastern Conference, it hasn’t necessarily.
As of this writing, the team is still tied with the Knicks at 31-18 with the Detroit Pistons atop the conference standings. However, one has to think that if Tatum were in this lineup, they’d be on top of the East and favorites to contend for this year’s championship.
Tatum previously shared optimism about returning to play for his team this season. However, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne recently reported that he “wants to get it right the first time, so it’s just a lot to think about.”
The Celtics are also taking a cautious approach, so Tatum may wait to return fully healthy rather than disrupting the team's current success.
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