BOSTON — It has been nearly five months since Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum ruptured his right Achilles tendon in the second round of the NBA playoffs, but Tuesday will mark one of the most difficult days of his recovery, as his teammates take the practice court for the first time of the 2025-26 campaign.
“Now it’s a tough spot to be in, because the team is practicing tomorrow, and I won’t be able to be out there,” Tatum said from Monday’s media-day festivities. “I’m certain when the season starts and I’m not out there, that’ll be mentally challenging, but you just try to look for bright days when you can get it.”
Advertisement
[Yahoo Sports TV is here! Watch live shows and highlights 24/7]
One of those days came over the weekend, when for the first time since the injury Tatum took to the practice court, getting in a light non-contact workout and sharing video with his fans on social media.
Houston Rockets superstar Kevin Durant — the premier example of how to come back healthy from an Achilles injury — was as surprised as everyone else at the speed with which Tatum returned to the court:
“Heâ€s doing everything he can to get back, and we donâ€t know when thatâ€s going to be, but hopefully itâ€s this season,” said Sam Hauser, who is among a large contingent of Celtics who have been working out all summer in Boston, where Tatum has been rehabbing every day. ” He’s the first one in and last one out.”
Advertisement
This is a common refrain among Celtics, as questions have shifted from, Will Tatum return this season? to, When will Tatum return this season? A home game. That was all Tatum was willing to share with us.
“I don’t care who we play,” said Tatum, “but it’s going to be a home game.”
In the meantime, the Celtics will lean on Tatum’s co-star, Jaylen Brown. The four-time All-Star is not trying to be Tatum, but he does understand that his role will be expanded, notably as a playmaker.
[Get more Celtics news: Boston team feed]
“I feel like I’ve shown that at different points of my career, and that’s the narrative that everybody wants to go with, but I’m going to approach it the same way I’ve always approached it,” said Brown. “Obviously, I’m gonna have more responsibility with Jayson not being here, but also there’s a chance for other guys to step up. So, [it’s about] empowering other guys, trusting your teammates more, trying to accelerate guys’ learning curve and playing some good basketball. I think that’s what people want to see.”
Advertisement
Likewise, Brown is expanding his leadership off the court, or, as he concedes, embracing the community and putting his authentic self out there a little more. He invited every member of the Celtics to join him as a guest of the New England Patriots on Sunday, and on Monday he was joined at media day by Bill Nye the Science Guy, who performed experiments alongside Brown and his teammates at the practice facility.
“He’s naturally pretty good at rallying the troops,” Hauser said of Brown. “On Sunday, he had a bunch of guys go with him to the Patriots game. Whoever was available went with him, so stuff like that is cool. A lot of guys who went were new faces, and it’s a good chance for them to get to know Jaylen and him to get know them and create those bonds early, and then hopefully just skyrocket from there.”
Hauser is among the returning rotation players who will also see an expanded role in Tatum’s absence, along with Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Neemias Queta. That group, with Brown, is the early favorite for the starting five, leaving newcomers Anfernee Simons, Luka Garza, Chris Boucher and Josh Minott to come off the bench. From the outside, it is not as inspiring a group as Boston’s teams from the past decade, but internally there is hope that everyone can collectively hold the fort in Tatum’s absence.
Advertisement
“It’s a different team,” said Queta. “We lost a lot of the main voices in the locker room, a lot of our veteran leadership. It’s part of our growth. As younger guys, we also gotta find our voice, be more vocal. It’s going to be like a committee thing. We’ve all got to improve a little bit more and just contribute a little more with our voices. Everybody put in their little bit more, their 5%, and go from there.”
In that sense, then, even though just about everything has changed, things are the same around Boston. “Kaizen” — the growth mindset — is still emblazoned above their weight room, a calling card for the Celtics. Through hard work comes improvement, and if everyone buys in, maybe, just maybe, they can bridge the gap to Tatum’s return.
Advertisement
“Every year,” the goal should be to win a championship, said Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. “It should be.
“It’s to do everything to go after the process of winning a championship, because I think there’s a ton that’s out of your control. But at the end of the day the process of winning is the ultimate goal, and that will forever be the goal as long as you coach. And if you don’t have that, you shouldn’t do it. I have no idea what’s going to happen, but I do know we’ll treat it as such that we will have the process of winning every single day.”
Discover more from 6up.net
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.