Jayson Tatum’s return overshadowed everything else at TD Garden on Friday night. From incredible performances from Jaylen Brown and Derrick White to Cooper Flagg’s first game in Boston, there were plenty of storylines that would have carried the day on their own.
But there's just no bigger story in Boston right now, no matter what Patriots do or don’t do. Tatum’s return to the second seed Celtics can reshape the NBA, giving an already good team a huge upgrade no other team can match at this time of year.
And getting Tatum to this point required 10 months of some of the hardest work an athlete will go through. Rehabbing a catastrophic injury is inherently lonely and isolating, with ups and downs that can play tricks on people’s minds. That's why a good support system is critical to making it back at all, nevermind making it back relatively quickly.
Obviously, Tatum’s family has been a huge source of inspiration for him. His mother, Brandy Cole, is one of the most important people in his life, which can be seen in his docuseries “The Quiet Work.” His son is by his side almost 24-7, which is always a source of inspiration. And the organization has been by his side, allowing him to proceed at his own pace, with no pressure.
But there's one person who has stood out beyond all these people. Tatum’s personal trainer and physical therapist Nick Sang.
“He has the biggest role,” Tatum said after his debut.” For the last 10 months, I haven’t went 48 hours without seeing Nick. He was there when I got injured and he’s been there every step of the way. I’m very fortunate to have someone as selfless and dedicated as he is.”
Aside from one season with the Patriots, Sang has been with the Celtics since Tatum was drafted in 2017. The two became very close friends, which allows Sang to all-in on Tatum’s process, including some tough love when he needs it.
“[He’s] somebody I know that cares about me as a person and as invested in me as anyone,” Tatum said. "I've seen Nick work countless hours to research and dot every I and cross every T, to make sure we were doing the right things and make sure we didn't skip any steps, hold me accountable every single day, push me when I didn't necessarily want to be there or when I doubted myself.”
That's an invaluable person to have in your corner during an extensive rehab. There are days when it would be easy to give in to frustration, or to think doing most of the work is enough. For someone trying to accomplish what Tatum did by coming back Friday night, good enough wouldn’t cut it.
“I can never say thank you enough to him,” Tatum said. “He's been with me every single day since I got injured and a big reason why I was able to recover as fast as I did and make it to this point, it was on him. Obviously, I can’t say enough good things about him and I can’t thank enough for being there with me.”