Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has a long way to go as he continues to recover from an Achilles injury, but the early returns are promising. Tatum showed off his progress Thursday, dunking the ball just months removed from Achilles surgery.
Tatum posted a video of the feat on X. For the caption, Tatum gave all the credit to his shoes.
It wasn’t the most mind-blowing dunk fans have seen from Tatum, but it was impressive nonetheless.
Tatum is just five months removed from undergoing surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon. Tatum sustained the injury during the final minutes of the team’s Game 4 loss to the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Without Tatum, the Celtics lost the series in six games.
Despite that injury, Tatum hasn’t ruled out a return during the 2025-26 NBA season. If he can return to the court this season, it would be quite the accomplishment. The recovery process after an Achilles injury is long and arduous. Even if Tatum feels fine physically later in the season, there’s no guarantee he would return to the court at 100% immediately.
If that’s the case, Tatum seemed to imply he would take the cautious route. When talking about his return in September, Tatum said he would prioritize a full recovery over coming back sooner.
“The most important thing is a full recovery,” he said. “And I’m not rushing it … at all.”
When healthy, Tatum is among the best players in the NBA. After acclimating to the pros over his first two seasons, Tatum took a major step forward in Year 3. Since then, he’s averaged 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. He’s made the All-NBA team five times over that period and is a six-time All-Star.
The Celtics are in a bit of a transition year with Tatum sidelined to begin the season. Knowing Tatum would miss time, the Celtics focused on cutting future salary in the offseason. Three starters were shipped out in the process. While Boston still employs Derrick White and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics are projected to be under-.500 this season.
If that comes to pass, there’s no reason for Tatum to push himself to return. If the Celtics have little to play for down the stretch, Tatum will be best served waiting until the 2026-27 NBA season to get back on the court.
But if things work out better than expected and the Celtics find themselves in a surprising spot as the playoffs approach, there’s at least a small possibility their best player could be back just in time for another deep playoff run.
That might be unlikely, but Tatum is clearly already making big strides in his recovery.
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