Nobody expected Jayson Tatum to return from his Achilles injury in early March. Furthermore, nobody expected him to emerge as the Boston Celtics‘ best player within three weeks of his return.
Yet, somehow, Tatum managed to do both of those things, and in the process, dispelled a lot of concerns regarding what type of player he would be post-injury.
Unfortunately, Tatum’s return to Boston’s rotation didn’t go completely to plan. He was forced to miss Boston’s win-or-go-home game seven matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers due to a left leg injury. The Celtics ultimately lost that game, consigning them to a long offseason.
When speaking on a recent edition of “Celtics All Access,” Tatum looked to find the silver lining in his team’s early playoff exit.
“You know all things considered, for me to be able to come back and play, and play at the level I was playing at, I’m proud of the fact that I was able to prove to myself that I can still play this game,” Tatum said. “So now that I get a long off-season to really get back to 110%, I guess that’s the silver lining of it all.”
Tatum continued.
“Now, getting an extended period of time to get my body right and come back next season 100%, 110% ready, I’m excited about that.”
Both the Celtics and Tatum will face a new type of test in the upcoming season, as Boston adjusts to life without Jaylen Brown.
Celtics Were Cautious With Tatum’s Injury
When speaking to the media following Boston’s first-round playoff exit, Brad Stevens detailed what led the team to shut down Tatum ahead of such an important game.
“It’s not like a long-term concern, but it certainly didn’t look right when he was working out and didn’t feel right,” Stevens said, via Masslive. “So it made sense to be smart about that. I think the obvious answer is anytime you’re coming back from an injury like he was coming from, there’s a tendency to overcompensate, and there’s probably a little bit of that there.”
While the decision was undoubtedly an unpopular one, Boston was right to protect its star player. After all, Tatum was only a few months out of returning to the court. Risking his long-term health made little sense to the bigger picture.
Tatum Understood The Celtics’ Decision
While Tatum certainly would have been disappointed to miss such an important game for the Celtics, he undoubtedly understood why the team took a cautious approach.
“Since the day I had surgery, rehab just went so well and we just kept climbing and defying the odds and doing things that people didn’t think were possible and the whole nine,” Tatum said, via Masslive. “So it doesn’t mean that I’m indestructible or hiccups don’t happen along the way. And then just when it did, it just happened to be at a very unfortunate time.”
With a full offseason to continue working on his body, Celtics fans will be hopeful Tatum is back to his best for the new season. Nevertheless, Boston will likely continue to manage Tatum’s minutes and workload next season, as they look to ensure he’s capable of spearheading the team’s offense throughout the 2027 postseason.
Jayson Tatum Reveals ‘Silver Lining’ From Celtics’ Playoff Loss