Celtics' Jayson Tatum Reveals Doubts He Could Return from Achilles Injury amid Rehab

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has been seen working hard to rehab his torn Achilles, but there was a time when he was unsure if he would be able to return after suffering the injury.

Appearing on The Pivot Podcast (starts at 3:20 mark), Tatum admitted "it's been a struggle" throughout the entire process to get where he is right now because the day he had surgery he "didn't think I could do it" and that marked the first time he ever doubted himself.

Tatum credited his mom with encouraging him amid those doubts (starts at 4:45 mark), saying she reminded him he's done everything in life that she set out to do and she would "be here with you, like I've always been."

Early on in the recovery process, Tatum noted there were moments when he thought "I might be done" playing basketball and that he felt "betrayed by the game" when the injury occurred.

One thing Tatum wasn't able to do was watch the remainder of the playoffs last season because it didn't feel "fair" that he couldn't take part in games.

Tatum was injured in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks.

It marked the first significant injury of Tatum's NBA career. He had never missed a playoff game until last season when a bone bruise in his wrist kept him out of Game 2 against the Orlando Magic in the first round.

Up to that point, Tatum had appeared in 114 consecutive playoff games dating back to his rookie season in 2017-18.

This season marks the first time that Tatum will miss more than 18 games in the regular season, but there has been some optimism that he might be able to return at some point.

The Athletic's Jay King noted on Jan. 20 that Tatum went through an hour-long on-court workout that was open to the media prior to the Celtics' game against the Detroit Pistons.

Tatum did shooting drills coming off simulated screens, pull-up jumpers, driving through contact from assistant coach Tony Dobbins and dunking the ball a few times.

In December, Brian Robb of MassLive.com reported that people within the Celtics organization likely wouldn't stand in Tatum's way of playing this season as long as he gets clearance from the medical staff, trainers and his body feels up to handling the rigors of an NBA game.

Tatum underwent surgery on May 13, within hours of suffering the injury. Wesley Matthews returned from a ruptured Achilles in less than eight months. He suffered the injury in March 2015 and was back playing by opening for the 2025-16 season.

Kobe Bryant returned from a ruptured Achilles in nine months. Tatum is younger than both players at the time of his injury. He is 27 years old. Matthews was 29, while Bryant was 34.

The Celtics (29-17) have held their own this season without Tatum, sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference. If they are able to maintain this success throughout the rest of the regular season, they could be looking at a situation where their best player returns for the home stretch or at the start of the postseason if things keep trending in the right direction.