Celtics star Jayson Tatum is 19 weeks into his recovery from a torn right Achilles tendon.
Tatum initially had doubts about his ability to return to basketball but is now focused on recovery milestones.
Tatum recently returned to the court for a light workout and plans to remain involved with the team during his rehab.
NEW YORK — It is Tuesday, and for Jayson Tatum this is important.
He settles into a couch in the Four Seasons in Lower Manhattan. His stylist has just picked out a red-and-grey-striped Marni mohair cardigan that hangs loosely on his frame. She fluffs the hem so it doesn’t bunch. His long-time barber Jules Gutierrez, at the last minute, lines him up with an edge comb.
And it is Tuesday, the 19th Tuesday since Tatum underwent surgery to repair the torn right Achilles tendon he suffered in a conference semifinals loss in May, ending his season and putting his 2025-26 campaign in doubt. Tatum is quick to mention this Tuesday milestone, and he does so with something like relief and pride and the acknowledgement of all the work left to come.
‘Oh, man, today, Tuesday – 19 weeks – I’m at 19 weeks,’ Tatum told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday, Sept. 23. ‘Almost five months. It has been a long journey.
‘Six days a week of rehab, going through all the phases of surgery to stitches, to 50% weight bearing. Then you get to a phase where you drop the crutches, and then you finally get out of the boot. And now, man, I just feel like a normal human again. I’ve got a shoe on. I hadn’t worn a shoe in 12 weeks. That’s the best way to look at it: What is the next milestone that I can get to?’
For Tatum, the 27-year-old six-time Boston Celtics All-Star, the game’s prototype wing, the benchmarks and milestones are the things he can cling to, the things that both recall what he calls the ‘dark days,’ and the path toward a return to basketball, a return that he thought might never come.
‘I’m not going to say that I always believed,’ Tatum said. ‘There was a period at first, I remember I told my mom, it was during the first two or three weeks, we was sitting at the counter and I was like, ‘Mom, I don’t know. This might be it. It’s just going to be so much that I’ve got to do to get back to playing.’
‘What I’ve realized, is I can’t look too far ahead. Then I would get discouraged.’
One thing Tatum hasn’t shied away from, however, is looking back. He recalled the moments after the injury, when his thoughts, as he writhed on the floor at Madison Square Garden, ranged from the practical — “Am I going to be the same?” – to the irrational – “Am I going to be traded?”
He recalled crying on the phone with his grandmother, as the two prayed together for a speedy recovery. He recalled the frustration of feeling like every day was “Groundhog Day,” when he toiled in rehab but didn’t see any tangible gains.
‘You just have this idea of what the next X-amount of years of your life are going to look like, and then’ – he snapped – ‘it all changes.’
Eventually, the pain set in, too. Tatum was prescribed opioids and suffered severe side effects, causing him and his surgeon, Dr. Martin O’Malley of the Hospital for Special Surgery, to prescribe Journavx, a nonopioid signal blocker that Tatum has taken to manage the pain.
Tatum has partnered with Vertex Pharmaceuticals, the company that makes the medication.
‘It’s more so about sharing my experience about what worked for me,’ Tatum said. ‘And also just raising awareness that anybody that’s in a situation where they had surgery or they are dealing with pain, that you have the option of something else. You can talk to your doctor, go through your medical history and find what works for you.’
Now, though, there are signs of progress. Tatum has been rehabbing the injury six days per week, while also working on his core and other parts of his body.
Monday, Sept. 22 marked the first time Tatum got on the court for a basketball workout. It was only 15 minutes, but he’s looking to ramp up as his body heals. He has been jogging. Sprinting is the next goal. Change of direction will follow that.
Tatum said he will be around the Celtics during practices, meetings and games. He will travel with the team and plans to be a constant presence throughout his rehab.
‘My voice still matters,’ Tatum said. ‘I’ll be there, and I’mma watch the games. I’m going to try to help any way I can.’
It’s something of a transition year for Boston. The 2023-24 NBA champions, the Celtics offloaded a pair of key pieces from that build; center Kristaps Porziņģis was traded to the Hawks and point guard Jrue Holiday was shipped to the Trail Blazers. Tatum, who hasn’t fully ruled out a return to the court this season, will at least miss the majority of the year.
‘First and foremost, the culture that we built with the Celtics, the standard that we hold ourselves to, doesn’t change, regardless of the team that we have,’ Tatum said. ‘On top of that, we still have guys that were on that championship team that know what it takes.
‘It’s going to be a different year, but the standard is still the same.’