The latest Jayson Tatum injury update is great news for the Boston Celtics.
Earlier this week, Tatum was assigned to the team’s NBA G League squad in Maine, which allowed him to get some practice in as he recovers from an Achilles tear.
Earlier this season, Tatum was extremely confident in his chances of making it back out on the court in the spring for an eventual playoff push. The Celtics were believed to be entering a gap year, but making the playoffs was a possibility, considering how open the Eastern Conference is on paper.
The Celtics are not only in the playoff picture, but they are a near-lock to get a desirable seed. As Tatum sees everything clicking, he is reportedly undecided on returning. Suddenly, the confidence didn’t seem as strong.
However, Tatum admitted that all of the time off had him in a “vulnerable” state, which confused his mentality amid his recovery.
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© Nathan Ray Seebeck
“Over 39 weeks, you have a lot of time on your hands,” Tatum told reporters on Tuesday.
“You think about a lot of things. Just hyper aware of what’s going on. 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.”
It’s logical to say the Celtics haven’t needed Tatum this season. That’s not a slight. The reality is that they are a top-three team in the Eastern Conference heading into the All-Star break.
Still, the playoffs are a different beast, and the veteran forward is seasoned in the playoffs. Tatum has been a part of eight playoff runs (121 games). Two years ago, he appeared in 19 games amid an NBA Championship run. He remains one of the most important players on the Celtics roster, despite their success in his absence.
The Celtics seem to be operating with the belief that he could be back in time for the playoffs. It’s too early for Tatum to make that call, but everything is trending in the right direction.
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