A Boston Celtics reporter believes Jayson Tatum could make his return from a torn Achilles during the 2025-26 season.
Celtics writer confident in Jayson Tatum's return for 2025-26 season originally appeared on The Sporting News
When Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum went down with a non-contact injury in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on May 12, teammates, fans and media members feared for the worst.
Those fears materialized when it was discovered that Tatum had ruptured the Achilles tendon in his right leg. He underwent surgery the next day, putting his status for the following season in jeopardy given the expected recovery time for such an injury. According to the Ohio State University College of Medicine, Achilles tears take between six and nine months to heal in best-case scenarios, while returns to playing sports can take between nine and 12 months.
But there is a possibility that Tatum could buck those benchmarks.
Heavy Sports reporter Steve Bulpett recently talked to an anonymous scout who attended Chris Paul's CP3 Elite Camp in Las Vegas last week. Tatum, who was also present at the event, reportedly showed promising signs that his return to professional basketball could come sooner than what was previously thought.
“He was moving really well," the scout told Bulpett. “There might have been a slight limp or something, but the surprising thing to me is that he didn’t have a boot for any of it.
“I’ve seen guys coming back from Achilles’ tears, and he looked way ahead. I was kind of shocked to see how well he was moving. I have no idea... what any of this means for when he can come back... but he looks great right now. Of course, he didn’t do any running or even jogging, but he was in great shape and he had no trouble doing his part at the camp.”
Tatum, a NBA champion in 2024 and six-time All-Star, has been central to the Celtics' success in recent campaigns. This past season, he appeared in 72 games and finished seventh in the league in points per game (26.8), in addition to grabbing 8.7 rebounds and dishing out 6.0 assists per contest.
Category: Basketball
