BOSTON — Jayson Tatum practically lit the internet on fire when he posted more than three minutes of workout videos on his Instagram story on Tuesday, revealing that he’s been cleared to play 1-on-1 basketball — and that he’s continuing to progress nicely after rupturing his Achilles tendon last May.
Now, the Celtics is just a few days away from the seven-month anniversary of his injury (suffered May 12th), and Mazzulla stressed that his recovery timeline is in his hands and that the team won’t be putting pressure on him in any direction. Achilles injuries recoveries can span anywhere from 7 to 15 months, and it’s unclear if that broad window has been narrowed down for Tatum at this point.
“It’s all up to him,” Mazzulla said. “At the end of the day, his health is the most important thing, his process is the most important thing. You trust him, trust the team that’s around him — he’s got a great team — and you just kind of go from there. So kind of just all starts about where he and his team think he’s at.”
Tatum has been traveling with the Celtics since preseason, attending shootarounds, film sessions, and practices, and meticulously working through his rehab. That’s what Mazzulla has been most focused on.
“To me, the only thing I care about is his presence and his leadership, and he’s given that in different ways — on the floor in games, communicating with guys, in film sessions, traveling with us,” Mazzulla said. “At the end of the day, he’s on our team. He’s a part of our team. He’s helping us get better, and then everything else just comes down to him and the people around him, and you just trust that.”
Mazzulla also made clear he won’t be weighing in on Tatum’s recovery timeline: “There’s people above me that are responsible for that. It’s not my job. My job is to just support him, be there for them, listen to them, and at the end of the day, you trust the people that are around him.”
At Wednesday’s Celtics practice, Payton Pritchard was asked about whether he’s thought about how Jayson Tatum could return and fit into the team — and, like Mazzulla, he stressed that team is focused on Tatum’s recovery, first and foremost.
“If he comes back, and if he comes back healthy and ready to play, we know how to play with him,” Pritchard said. “It’s not like we’re bringing him in to guys he’s never played with. So it’ll be an easy transition. But right now, we’re just focusing on the guys that are playing right now, getting better and putting ourselves in the best position possible.”
While Jayson Tatum shot in the background of the scrum, Mazzulla credited Tatum for his diligence throughout the process.
“I think it’s harder to rehab than it is to be in the season sometimes because you have to do things at a higher intensity, at a higher pace,” Mazzulla said. “So he’s doing that. But I care more about [the fact that] he’s on the team, he’s helping us get better. That’s the most important thing.”
