Celtics' Jayson Tatum Says He's Out of Boot amid 'Tedious' Achilles Injury Rehab

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum is in the thick of recovery from the torn Achilles he suffered in May, and he didn't sugarcoat what the experience has been like.

"Rehab is tedious, man — six days a week. It's starting to get a little bit better now, I'm out the boot now," Tatum said in a TikTok video posted by the NBA (h/t CelticsBlog's Noa Dalzell. "Better days ahead, but just trying to take it one day at a time."

Tatum suffered the injury in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks on May 12 and had surgery the following day. While the Celtics have not offered an official timeline, there have been several indications that Tatum is ahead in his recovery.

In June, about a month and a half after the injury, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens told reporters that Tatum has "progressed great."

"We don't and we won't," Stevens said when asked if the team has an expected timeline for Tatum's recovery. "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."

Heavy Sports' Steve Bulpett reported in late July that one scout said Tatum looks "way ahead" in his recovery and "was moving well."

Tatum, who has earned All-NBA First Team honors in each of the last four seasons, will likely have to miss most, if not all, of the 2025-26 campaign, but it appears his recovery is going well so far.