Jayson Tatum suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon in Game 4 of the Boston Celtics’ second-round series against the New York Knicks. Less than 24 hours later, he went under the knife.
Tatum had his procedure at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, where doctors determined the Celtics superstar would benefit from taking swift action. Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens spoke about the process in an exclusive interview with NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg.
“I forget what the exact benefits were, because I’m not a doctor,” Stevens told Forsberg. “But whether it was blood supply and different swelling benefits early on in those first 72 hours was the timeframe that we were talking about. We were just fortunate to be there, as far as at HSS, and I thought they did a great job. And our team doc Tony Schena did a great job of helping organize it. … Everybody was quick to make that call, and I think there’s real benefit to that.”
An athlete’s return timeline from a ruptured Achilles can range from nine to 12 months. But by undergoing surgery so soon after the injury occurred, Tatum may have created the opportunity for a faster recovery.
Even so, Stevens made it clear the team will not rush Tatum back onto the court.
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“This is about full recovery, and helping him get back to feeling like himself ASAP,” he said. “And ASAP can be as long as it takes. There is no timeline.
“There will be different steps along the way that will then say, ‘OK, you can move on to the next step.’ But ultimately, I think that’s the most important thing is let’s let this thing heal, let’s rehab appropriately, and it takes what it takes.”
With Tatum sidelined, the Celtics rallied to win Game 5 against the Knicks at home before their season-ending Game 6 defeat. Now, they will enter a pivotal offseason filled with uncertainty as Stevens navigates a difficult financial situation that could break up the team’s championship core.
Watch Stevens’ full interview with Forsberg below, or on YouTube:
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