Celtics’ Jayson Tatum seems to express frustration over Achilles rehab
After saying the days are "starting to get a little easier" earlier in June, Tatum didn't seem too happy in his latest social media post.
A few weeks after tearing his Achilles, Jayson Tatum seemed to be in a positive mood about his rehab. But as he’s only a month-and-a-half into his road to recovery, Tatum didn’t seem too positive in his latest update.
The Celtics star took to social media late Friday to provide another update on his Achilles rehab.
“Day 45… this is some [expletive],” Tatum wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Tatum didn’t expand beyond that, but Friday marked the 45th day since he underwent surgery to repair his ruptured right Achilles on May 13. In his previous update on June 7, Tatum wrote, “Day 25… days starting to get a little easier.”
While Tatum’s latest update struck a more pessimistic tone than his last one, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens provided some positivity to the situation on Wednesday. However, Stevens recognized that Tatum still has a long road ahead.
“We don’t and we won’t,” Stevens said, told reporters when asked about Tatum’s timeline following the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. “We won’t put a projected timeline on him for a long, long time.
“It’s baby steps right now. He’s actually progressed great, but I don’t know what that means in regard to projected timelines. But that will be in consultation with him … and everybody else to make sure when he hits the court, he is fully ready, and fully healthy. And that will be the priority.”
Stevens also shared that Tatum has been in the Celtics’ facility often in the early stages of the offseason.
“We’ve seen both those guys very frequently,” Stevens said, including Jaylen Brown in that statement. “It’s usually the time of year I don’t see those guys a lot. They usually rest and get away. But they both prioritize getting better and rehabbing, and after a long season. I appreciate that about them.”
Some of Tatum’s teammates have posted clips of him at the Auerbach Center in Brighton over the last few weeks. Images have also surfaced of Tatum working out at other gyms on social media in recent days.
As the Celtics haven’t provided a timeline on Tatum’s recovery, his father, Justin, told ESPN’s Marc Spears that they were looking at an eight-to-nine-month timetable in May. That would certainly be an optimistic timetable, as most NBA players who suffer an Achilles tear are sidelined for nearly a year or longer.
Even if Tatum’s absence winds up being eight or nine months long, that would still rule him out for the majority of the 2025-26 season. With Tatum’s availability for the 2025-26 season in doubt, the Celtics made a pair of cost-saving trades this past week to get under the second luxury tax apron, moving Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis.
“The biggest challenge for our team is our first-team All-NBA player is in a boot,” Stevens told reporters of the Celtics’ situation on Wednesday. “We know that going into next year. Everything else is second to that on how we build, grow, and improve as much as we can. I said when I sat down in front of everybody a few weeks ago, my goal is to compete for championships. There will be inevitably a lot that goes into being in the mix for those.
“We have to prioritize the health of those two guys [Tatum and Jaylen Brown] and at the same time make sure we’re regaining some of our flexibility.”
Tatum wished both players well and saluted them for helping the Celtics win the 2023-24 NBA title on social media following the deals.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com