Golden State Warriors forward Kristaps Porzingis has unfortunately dealt with numerous injuries during his NBA career, so he knows what Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has been through this season.
Porzingis knows firsthand how challenging, draining and mentally taxing recovery work is, especially for a maniacal competitor like Tatum who's used to playing every game.
Not surprisingly, Tatum pushed himself hard during rehab and came back much sooner than expected, returning from his ACL injury after just 10 months.
When asked about Tatum's return prior to Wednesday's game against his old team, Porzingis didn't seem too surprised by it.
Porziņģis has kept in touch with his former teammates and is impressed with Tatum's comeback: "I went out with the guys a little bit when they were in Atlanta. We had a good time there."
"He's probably played good already ... JT is an animal." @CLNSMedia | Q: @JoshBrogadirTV pic.twitter.com/MZSrmDUi6C
— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) March 18, 2026
"I think he's a little bit of a guy that can't sit still," Porzingis said of his former teammate. "He wanted to get back out there... And I completely understand it because that was me last season. When I was coming back from the ankle, it's so annoying to do the rehab workouts and push yourself that way. It's way more easier to push yourself when you actually get on the court."
While he hasn't been keeping up with the box scores, Porzingis correctly guessed that Tatum's been playing well since coming back.
"He's probably played good a;ready," Porzingis added. "Knowing him also, his work ethic and stuff, I'm sure he was super locked in with the rehab just to make sure he could come back as soon as possible... JT is an animal. I'm sure he worked his ass off to get to this spot as soon as possible."
He did, and now he's back way ahead of schedule.
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