Veteran Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James is still in awe of Jayson Tatum returning to the Boston Celtics lineup in less than 10 months (approximately 298 days) after an Achilles tear.
Addressing Tatum’s triumphant return to the Celtics, James warned the league that Joe Mazzulla’s team would prove to be a handful in the upcoming NBA playoffs.
[Tatum] has just looked more like himself,” James said on the “Mind the Game” podcast, while talking about the Celtics vs. Charlotte Hornets game on April 7.
“I think it’s just gonna make [the Celtics] even more dynamic and dangerous to the point where before the injury, they were dangerous last year and the year before that.
“It’s definitely great to have him back, but implementing yourself back after a long period of time like that can be challenging. I think he’s handled himself well so far.”
LeBron James on Celtics Title Chances
James believes that with Jaylen Brown enjoying a career year and Tatum getting his legs under him, the Celtics will be tough to beat in the playoffs.
“JT and JB are both great players, battle-tested champions,” James stressed.
“And they both feel like, at any given night, ‘I’m the best player in the world.’ So, how do they body that to where ‘we’re the best players in the world’ and it spreads to the body of the team, and not just the individual.
“They’ve obviously shown that before [by winning the 2024 NBA Finals],” he added.
Celtics Playoffs Path
James also urged basketball fans to appreciate Tatum for his determination to return this season rather than taking the year off.
“For him to be out 10 months, without any basketball, having to recondition himself, and then go back into live action, that alone is a milestone,” James said of Tatum.
“I don’t think, not only the fans and the peers, we don’t highlight and celebrate that enough. For a guy to come back after an injury like that or just to come back on the floor, that takes a lot.”
The Celtics are the overwhelming betting favorites to represent the East in the NBA Finals. Tatum and Co. will find out their first-round playoff opponent on Wednesday night when the Philadelphia 76ers face the Orlando Magic in a 7 vs. 8 play-in game.
ESPN’s Zach Kram has predicted that Tatum and Brown will return to the NBA Finals stage for the third time after 2022 and 2024. He has also projected that the Celtics will get their revenge on the New York Knicks for last year’s playoff heartbreak.
“They’ll get their revenge this season, winning the final game at Madison Square Garden, where Tatum suffered his injury a year ago.
“The pick: Celtics in 6,” Kram wrote, previewing a potential Knicks vs. Celtics rematch in the second round of the playoffs.
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