BOSTON — Jayson Tatum hit an important milestone as part of his Achilles rehab Monday: he practiced with the Maine Celtics. The latest Tatum update has fans buzzing about a potential comeback sometime in the near future.
Tatum was noncommittal either way on whether he would be back on the parquet this season. He spoke to media following the Celtics’ practice Tuesday at the Auerbach Center, the first time he’s done so since media day before training camp. He spoke about how he’s feeling, where he’s at in the rehab process and more.
“I’m feeling good,” Tatum said. “It was good to be a part of practice yesterday with the Maine G League guys. (Tuesday) is 39 weeks, so it’s been a long journey. And it’s just like the progression of rehab. It was the next step. Doesn’t mean that I’m coming back or I’m not. It’s just following the plan. So it’s just another step.””
The Celtics are 34-19, tied for second in the East. They’ve looked like a real East contender this season despite missing their face of the franchise. A potential Tatum return would give Boston a significant boost, though Tatum won’t be expected to be his first-team All-NBA self right away.
Here’s everything Tatum said about his rehab process from his Achilles injury:
On a percentage of how he’s feeling: “I don’t know. I don’t know the percentage. I just know I feel a little bit better every day. I just try to focus on that."
On feeling hesitation about coming back: “I think just, over 39 weeks, you have a lot of time on your hands. You think about a lot of things, and you’re just hyper-aware of what’s going on. And I think it would just stem from that. Obviously, I know what I bring to the table and bring to the team. But I’m also aware that these guys have been playing extremely well. And not to say that I would come and mess it up or anything like that. It was just kind of being vulnerable, I guess, for a moment, and talking from that perspective.”
On the rehab process: “Mentally it’s been tough. It’s been exhausting. I can’t stress it enough, it’s been 39 weeks. It’s been a lot of different phases throughout this process. But the organization has been there to support me, friends, family, the whole nine. I’ve had a lot of support throughout this.”
On fitting into the team: “Yeah, I mean, it might look different. I haven’t played with these guys or with this group. But lot of high IQ guys out there. I like to consider myself one of those types of players. So if that did present itself, and if I did come back, we professionals will figure it out.”
On what he’s doing in practice: “That’s just kind of part of the next progression, being at 39 weeks. That’s kind of the stage that I’m at right now.”
On the practice itself: “It was good. It was just kind of good to be out there, had a jersey on. Just kind of felt good to be a part of a team and practice and go through reps and stuff like that.”
On next steps: “Just more conditioning, more live things, getting acclimated to playing five-on-five and contact and stuff like that.”
On trusting the Achilles: “I always say I feel a little bit better today than I did yesterday, so physical conditioning, trusting it, every day I just feel a little bit better.”
On the biggest challenge mentally: “It’s hard to pinpoint one. It’s been a bunch of them just at different stages of this. There’s just been a lot of different things that have mentally been tough, so it’s hard to pick one.”
On reports reevaluating his return this season: “I’m still trying to figure it out. I’m still just going through the progressions of rehab. I’m not saying I’m coming back or I’m not. It’s all about being 100% healthy and going through the plan of this protocol.”
On if he’s tired of being asked about his return: “How do I respond to it? I tell them I don’t know, it’s day-by-day. I guess I don’t get tired of it. You get used to it. But I tell everybody I’m working toward getting healthy and that’s most important.”
On why he’s still been around the team: “Because these are like my brothers. I know I’m injured and not playing, but I’d like to think I’m still very much part of the team. When you’re out and injured you can feel isolated because you’re not playing, so just being around, encouraging them, and being around as much as possible is good for me and my spirits. Just being around as much as I can.”
On adjustments to his game since the injury: “I’m always trying to get better. It’s been like that every year of my career. I’ve never been complacent. There are always things I can work on and get better at. Throughout this rehab process, that mindset hasn’t been any different.”