Celtics
“There might have been a slight limp or something, but the surprising thing to me is that he didn’t have a boot for any of it.”
The odds aren’t in Jayson Tatum and the Celtics’ favor when it comes to the superstar forward returning to the parquet floor for the 2025-26 season.
With Tatum suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon during the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Knicks in May, the severity of that injury — coupled with the timing at the end of the 2024-25 campaign — means that Tatum will likely be on the mend throughout this upcoming season.
Even if Tatum was to get cleared in the spring, there’s a compelling case to be made that the Celtics should just keep their most valuable asset protected and opt to rule him out for the entire 2025-26 season — rather than rush him back and risk injury during a potential bridge year.
But one basketball scout believes that Tatum might be ahead of schedule when it comes to his arduous road back from such a major injury.
Longtime Celtics writer Steve Bulpett noted in a story on Thursday that he spoke to an NBA scout who saw Tatum serving as an instructor during a basketball camp in Las Vegas this week. The scout noted that Tatum’s mobility — sans boot — was encouraging.
“He was moving really well,” the scout told Bulpett. “There might have been a slight limp or something, but the surprising thing to me is that he didn’t have a boot for any of it.
“I’m no doctor, but I’ve seen guys coming back from Achilles’ tears, and he looked way ahead. I was kind of shocked to see how well he was moving. I have no idea what any of this means for when he can come back. I’m sure him and the Celtics’ medical people have their program set up, and they’ll make sure that he’s where he needs to be when he does get back. But he looks great right now.”
The scout noted that Tatum wasn’t “running or jogging”, but added that the Celtics star looked to be “in great shape” at this stage of his rehab process.
Tatum is now over two months into his recovery from his torn Achilles, with the 27-year-old forward sharing photos of himself in June working out in a pool.
Speaking in June, Brad Stevens said that the Celtics aren’t putting a definitive timeline on Tatum’s return to the court.
“We don’t and we won’t,” Stevens said of Tatum’s recovery timetable following the first round of the 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.”
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