New York (AFP) – Boston star Jayson Tatum took another step in his return from a torn Achilles tendon when he practiced with the Celtics’ G League affiliate but said Tuesday there’s no timeline for his return to the NBA.
“I’m feeling good,” Tatum told reporters in Boston. “It was good to be a part of practice (Monday) with the Maine G League guys. Today is 39 weeks (since surgery), so it’s been a long journey, and it’s just the progression of rehab. It was the next step. It doesn’t mean that I’m coming back or I’m not. I’m just following the plan, so it’s just another step.”
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Tatum was carried off the court in the fourth quarter of game four of the Celtics’ Eastern Conference semi-finals loss to the New York Knicks and had surgery on May 13. He surprised many in September when he said in an interview with NBC’s Today Show that he hadn’t ruled out a return this season. The six-time NBA All-Star, who was a member of the USA’s Olympic gold medal-winning teams at the Tokyo and Paris Games, has attended most of the team’s games this season while continuing a rehab process he called “exhausting”.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said Tatum “looked good” in practice but also stressed it was just another step in the process. “He’s continuing to just chip away at the progression of his rehab, and it was great to see him take another step,” Mazzulla said. “There’s been a lot of steps and milestones along the way, starting from just walking, and it was great to see him get to the next one.”
The Celtics are currently 34-19 and tied with the New York Knicks, 5.5 games behind the Eastern Conference leading Detroit Pistons. Tatum recently told “The Pivot” podcast that he knew a late-season return could affect the chemistry of Boston’s current lineup. “Yeah, I mean, it might look different,” Tatum said of his potential role. “I haven’t played with these guys or with this group, but (the Celtics have) a lot of high-IQ guys out there. I like to consider myself one of those types of players. So if that did present itself, and if I did come back, we professionals will figure it out.”
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