Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum’s return from injury has been a hot topic for the 18-time NBA champions. Everyone presumed that he would miss the entire season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in the conference semis. Nine months after the brutal injury, Tatum is already playing in 5-on-5 scrimmages. Here’s what ESPN’s Shams Charania said on Wednesday:
“I’m told that Jayson Tatum is a full go in 5-on-5 scrimmages with the Celtics. Right now, it’s about him putting together a number of practices and scrimmages to build up his conditioning and increase the strength in both of his calves.
Meanwhile, the Celtics were expected to have a gap year, but they are second in the Eastern Conference with a 38-19 record. It makes a compelling case for Tatum to push for a return this season. However, Charania revealed one of the major hurdles for Tatum leading up to that potential decision:
“The hurdle of being 100% mentally ready, a 100% confidence in that right leg. Because the common theme from people close to Jayson Tatum is him getting out there and returning to action is, quote, ‘When JT feels like JT.’ So, the Celtics will take Tatum’s lead, he’s in the driver’s seat, he’s gonna be the one to make the decision.”
It’s the first time Jayson Tatum has suffered an injury of this magnitude. While he’s recovered incredibly well, it makes sense if he wishes to take his time. The Celtics are also playing well in his absence, and re-integrating him in the middle of the season with a new core outside of Jaylen Brown and Derrick White could be challenging.
Predicting Jayson Tatum’s return timeline this season
Scrimmaging is different than competitive games. Players in that situation make a concerted effort to go easy against an opponent recovering from a major injury. While Jayson Tatum is playing in full 5-on-5 settings in practice, it may not instantly translate to regular-season and postseason games.
That said, it might take Tatum at least a month-long ramp-up to return to competition conditioning. At best, he could return in the last few days of March or the first week of April. That would give the 2024 NBA champion roughly a week or two weeks before the playoffs begin.
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