While speaking with LeBron James on his Mind The Game podcast, Kevin Durant cited that Jayson Tatum reached out to him regarding his recovery from an Achilles injury.
Aside from their roster overhaul this offseason, the biggest ongoing storyline for the Boston Celtics is Jayson Tatum's recovery journey. As the star forward continues his long road back to full strength, one NBA superstar opened up on lending a helping hand.
Achilles tears are a devastating injury that is expected to have long-term effects, but some players have managed to bounce back in a big way. The most notable is Kevin Durant, who suffered such an ailment during the 2019 NBA Finals. While the injury did cost him a year of his career, KD managed to return to form and is still playing at a high level to this day. Seeing that he's much younger than Durant was at the time of injury, Tatum is striving to have similar results.
Last week, Durant sat down with LeBron James and Steve Nash on the Mind The Game podcast. Achilles injuries ended up being a topic of discussion in light of multiple stars suffering them in the postseason. While on the topic, KD cited that Tatum and others have reached out to him to talk about recovery.
"Of course you know JT and Dame hit me up. I'm starting to feel like I'm the Achilles guy," Durant said. "I feel like a lot of guys have bounced back and became themselves again. Mines is the most popular but I feel like a lot of guys have bounced back that I took inspiration from when I was going through my journey."
“I’m starting to feel like the Achilles guy”
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 8, 2025
KD says Tatum & Dame reached out after their Achilles injuries 🙏
(via @mindthegamepod) pic.twitter.com/OvBAGRMy4p
Tatum and Durant have built a solid relationship amid their years of battling in the NBA. The two spent a lot of time together last summer when they helped Team USA secure a gold medal in the Summer Olympics.
As of now, it remains unclear just how long Tatum will be sidelined due to this injury. He is hard at work getting himself right physically, with new updates coming out regularly. Videos emerged last week of Tatum slowly building strength back while working out in a pool.
Jayson Tatum posted a video of himself walking in a pool today on Instagram as he continues his Achilles rupture rehab pic.twitter.com/Q7hQxW4tV9
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) July 6, 2025
Seeing that Tatum is a foundational piece to the franchise's future, the Celtics aren't going to rush him back in 2026. In the meantime, Jaylen Brown will be tasked with leading the charge solo until his running mate is able to make his return.
Category: Basketball
