SAN FRANCISCO — When Jayson Tatum went down with his ruptured Achilles tendon last season, it was clear the impact it had on the locker room. Al Horford, after that playoff loss to the Knicks, spoke about how concerned he was for his longtime teammate in Tatum. It was a human reaction seeing such a devastating injury.
It’s been 40 weeks removed since then and Tatum appears to be nearing his return. While Horford is now on the Warriors, he’s been able to follow along Tatum’s recovery from afar. The 18-year NBA veteran had plenty to say about his former teammate as Tatum nears a potential return to the court.
“He’s the type of guy that he refused to sit, he always wanted to play and he always wants to compete,” Horford said. “It’s so impressive. It’s such a tough injury ... They’ve been doing a really good job with him because I don’t think anybody expected that he was going to be at this level so quickly. So I’m very proud of him.”
Tatum has long praised Horford, often calling him his favorite veteran teammate. When Tatum entered the league as a teenager, he leaned on Horford to teach him how to be a pro. The two have a relationship that dates back years.
It’s unclear if Tatum will return to the court this season, though the comeback buzz is real. Tatum practiced with the Maine Celtics, the team’s G League affiliate, earlier this month. While Tatum and the team haven’t given any official indication that he could be coming back, that hasn’t stopped fans from dreaming of his return.
“Just so impressed with him because from everything that I’ve heard from that type of injury, it’s just extremely difficult,” Horford said. “And his mental strength is really showing there because his ability to be at this point already that he’s practicing and everybody’s talking about that he’s possibly going to play. And even if he doesn’t play, just the fact that how much progress he has made and the way that he has come is very impressive.”