BRIGHTON — It’s 274 days since Jayson Tatum ruptured his Achilles at Madison Square Garden. It was May 12, 2025.
Two hundred and seventy-four days. That’s just over 39 weeks. A number Tatum has burned into his brain.
“Mentally, it’s been tough,” he said on Tuesday afternoon. “It’s been exhausting. It’s been, I can’t stress it enough, it’s been 39 weeks. It’s been a lot of different phases throughout this process, but the organization has been there to support me. Friends, family, the whole nine, so I’ve had a lot of support throughout this journey.”
The last time Tatum spoke to the entire Boston Celtics beat was at Media Day. That was September 29, 2025, which was 134 days ago. Nearly half of his rehab process.
For Tatum, it was the next step in his recovery process.
“Yeah, that’s just kind of part of the next progression,” he said of playing live-action five-on-five basketball. “Being 39 weeks, that’s kind of the stage that I’m at right now.”
But it was more than that. It was a chance for him to feel closer to the game again. A chance to be part of a team.
“It was good,” Tatum said. “It was just kind of good to be out there, had a jersey on. Just kind of felt good to be a part of a team, and practice, and go through reps, and stuff like that.”
And it also doesn’t mean anything about whether he plans to return to action this season. That’s a decision that has yet to be made. At least, not according to the man himself.
“I’m feeling good,” Tatum said. “It was good to be a part of practice yesterday with the Maine G League guys. Today is 39 weeks, so it’s been a long journey, and it’s just like the progression of rehab. It was the next step. Doesn’t mean that I’m coming back or not. You’re just following the plan. It was just another step.”
With Tatum sidelined, Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics have done everything possible to maintain their place as one of the powerhouses of the Eastern Conference.
Through the first 53 games of the season, they’ve gone 34-19, good for third place in the Eastern Conference (They are technically tied for second place, but the New York Knicks hold the tiebreaker over them.)
During a recent podcast appearance, Tatum brought up the team’s success in discussing whether he wanted to come back this year. He mentioned not wanting to disrupt the rhythm this Celtics group has cultivated.
The outside world turned Tatum’s moment of honesty and vulnerability into an attack.
In reality, Tatum was just trying to express his candid perspective.
“I think, just over 39 weeks, you have a lot of time on your hands,” Tatum said. “You think about a lot of things, and you’re just hyper-aware of what’s going on. And I think it would just stem from that.
“Obviously, I know what I bring to the table and bring to the team, but I’m also aware that these guys have been playing extremely well. Not to say that I would come and mess it up, or anything like that. It was just kind of being vulnerable, I guess, for a moment.”
It was a moment of truth. Because Tatum had yet to decide on anything.
He doesn’t know if he’s going to return this year. It’s a massive decision, and in the process of his 39-week recovery (up to this point), every single possibility has crossed his mind.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m still trying to figure it out,” Tatum said. “Still just going through the progressions of rehab. Not saying that I’m coming back or I’m not. It’s all about being 100% healthy and going through the plan of this protocol.”
That mental toll has been draining.
Because for Tatum, one of the toughest parts of the entire rehab process has been
