鈥榃e Don鈥檛 And We Won鈥檛鈥: Boston Celtics Dedicated To Jayson Tatum鈥檚 Full Recovery From Achilles Rupture
When Jayson Tatum ruptured his right Achilles tendon during the Celtics鈥 conference semifinals loss to the New York Knicks, the immediate future of the defending champions changed dramatically.
However, the Celtics remain steadfast in ensuring Tatum has ample time and space to recover fully without rushing him back into action.
Tatum, 27, injured himself while chasing a loose ball during the game against the New York Knicks. His leg gave out in a non-contact play, and he immediately clutched the area above his ankle in visible pain, burying his face in a towel鈥攁 heart-wrenching sight for both teammates and fans, as it dashed the Celtics鈥 playoff hopes.
My concern is a torn right Achilles tendon for Jayson Tatum.
Pushed off, leg gave out,
immediately grabbed, writhing in pain.
Couldn鈥檛 bear any weight on it and needed to be wheelchaired off.
Other injuries (ankle sprain, fracture) are possible but unlikely.
SMH pic.twitter.com/ipBkSNYFsg
鈥 Jesse Morse, M.D. (@DrJesseMorse) May 13, 2025
Boston鈥檚 president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens, mentioned that Tatum is progressing well after last month鈥檚 surgery.
Still, when questioned about a potential timeline for Tatum鈥檚 return, Stevens was clear that there would be no rushing the star鈥檚 rehabilitation.
Brad Stevens says Jayson Tatum is progressing 鈥済reat,鈥 but won鈥檛 put a projected timeline on him for 鈥渁 long, long time.鈥
Adds they won鈥檛 bring him back until he is 鈥渇ully ready and fully healthy鈥 pic.twitter.com/VkirVkbZbV
鈥 Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) June 26, 2025
鈥淲e don鈥檛 and we won鈥檛,鈥 Stevens said on Wednesday night following the first round of the NBA draft.
鈥淲e won鈥檛 set a projected timeline for him for a long, long time. 鈥 It鈥檚 baby steps right now.
He鈥檚 actually progressing great, but I don鈥檛 know what that means regarding projected timelines. This will be done in consultation with him 鈥 and everyone else to ensure he is fully ready and healthy when he hits the court. That will be the priority.鈥
Tatum is expected to miss most, if not all, of the next season.
The situation is further complicated by the Celtics鈥 offseason moves. The team opted to trade key players Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday to get the team鈥檚 salary under the luxury tax apron, raising questions about a potential rebuild.
鈥淎s far as whatever moves those are a part of, they鈥檙e all separate and challenging, and you have to do your best to position yourself correctly,鈥 Stevens said.
鈥淲e knew this was coming. This isn鈥檛 a huge surprise. 鈥 The biggest thing for us is ensuring we balance that, maximizing what we can bring back so we can continue to build and grow.鈥
(with AP inputs)