Jayson Tatum may be giving a glimmer of hope right now to Boston Celtics.
The Celtics star Tatum, who is currently recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, was reportedly moving well while working out at Chris Paul’s CP3 Elite Camp in Las Vegas, Nev. this week (per Heavy.com’s Steve Bulpett). Bulpett adds that the possibility of Tatum rejoining the Celtics late in the 2025-26 regular season has not been ruled out at this point.
“He was moving really well,” an unnamed NBA scout was quoted as saying about Tatum. “There might have been a slight limp or something, but the surprising thing to me is that he didn’t have a boot for any of it. I’m no doctor, but I’ve seen guys coming back from Achilles’ tears, and he looked way ahead. I was kind of shocked to see how well he was moving.”
You can read Bulpett’s full report about the Tatum situation here.
The six-time All-Star Tatum suffered the Achilles rupture during the second round of the playoffs against the New York Knicks in mid-May (video here). That means he is still only about two-and-a-half months removed from the injury and subsequent surgery.
Achilles tears generally take about 9-to-12 months to recover from, which would put Tatum around mid-February of next year at the absolute earliest. But it is certainly encouraging that he is already working out with a boot, and it should also help that Tatum is still only 27 years old as he embarks on his rehab.
Of course, Tatum’s return to the floor will also be influenced by how the Celtics perform next season. Boston parted ways with some prominent players this offseason in an apparent effort to punt on the 2025-26 campaign and create financial flexibility. Thus, they obviously won’t push Tatum to an early return if the season is already a lost cause.
