Jaylen Brown Talks Jayson Tatum's Injury Rehab, Conversations With Celtics Star on Return
With the Boston Celtics once again looking like an NBA Finals contender in the Eastern Conference, Jaylen Brown is doing his best to avoid putting pressure on Jayson Tatum to return from a ruptured Achilles before he is 100 percent ready.
Speaking to The Athletic's Jay King about Tatum, Brown explained he has told his longtime teammate to "do what's best for you" given the physical and mental toll that the injury and rehab can take on him:
"I think it's been good. I've been watching his progression. And I know, mentally, he's been through ups and downs just like any other person going through adversity in their career, etc., but I just let him know: 'Do what's best for you. Make sure. Because outside of it just being physically a setback, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, all that stuff comes into play as well, so even if you're physically feeling well, make sure your mind—mentally, emotionally and spiritually—feels great too.' So, I trust, (and) we trust his decision-making."
There have been whispers for months that Tatum was targeting a return at some point this season. He recently held an hour-long workout open to the media that was viewed as a stepping stone in his quest to get back on the court in actual games.
Tatum spoke out recently about internal debates he is having with himself about whether or not he will play this season during an appearance on The Pivot Podcast that dropped on Jan. 27.
"It is a thought: Do I come back? Should I wait?" Tatum said on the podcast (h/t King). "It's something that I honestly, recently, in the last two weeks or so just kind of contemplate every single day."
Tatum suffered the injury in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks on May 12.
The fastest recovery period on record for an NBA player to return from a torn Achilles is seven months for Wesley Matthews. He suffered the injury in March 2015 and was back playing for opening night the following season in October.
Kobe Bryant needed nine months to recover from his Achilles injury suffered in April 2013. More recent examples include Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, both of whom missed more than a full calendar year.
Tatum has been one of the NBA's best players for most of his career. He finished in the top six of MVP voting in each of the past four seasons and helped the Celtics win the NBA Finals during the 2023-24 season.
Even without their star forward, the Celtics have once again been among the best teams in the East this season. Their 32-18 record is tied with the New York Knicks for No. 2 in the conference, behind only the Detroit Pistons.
Boston's net rating of plus-7.7 is tied with the Pistons for second-best in the NBA.
