When Jayson Tatum went down clutching his leg in the second-round playoff series against the New York Knicks on May 12, 2025, it looked serious. Tatum was clearly in pain after lunging at a loose ball and colliding with OG Anunoby in Game 4 of the series. The six-time All-Star was helped off the court and had to be assisted to the locker room in a wheelchair.
Without their leading scorer, the Celtics were unable to defend their 2024 NBA crown, falling to the Knicks in six games. Shortly after, Boston was hit with another blow when it was revealed that Tatum had suffered a torn right Achilles tendon that could potentially see him miss the entire 2025-26 campaign.
The healing time for an Achilles injury can vary, but the road to recovery is long, grueling, and, at times, frustrating. It has been just over six weeks since Tatum’s injury, and the Celtics star recently updated fans on his rehab process.
Celtics Star Jayson Tatum Shares Painful Update As Rehab Continues Into Week Seven
Shortly after the Achilles injury, NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Tatum had undergone surgery and was in line for a “long rehab.” The news was devastating for a Celtics fanbase that had only 12 months earlier watched Tatum lead the franchise to an NBA record 18th championship in 2024.
Here’s a look at where Jayson Tatum appeared to suffer the ankle/foot injury.
Prayers up for JT 🙏🏽pic.twitter.com/FyANRc4nXH https://t.co/hCEI4TY0hH
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 13, 2025
On Friday, Tatum provided a brief but telling update on his rehab. In a heartbreaking post on X (formerly Twitter), the St. Louis native shared his frustration with fans.
“Day 45… this is some bulls***,” Tatum posted, expressing the mental and physical challenges of the lengthy recovery process.
Tatum seemed to be hitting his peak at the time of the injury. The 27-year-old had been selected to the All-NBA First Team for the fourth consecutive season in 2024-25. After securing his first NBA championship in 2024, Tatum led the Celtics in points (26.8), rebounds (8.7), assists (6.0) and minutes (36.4) per game this past regular season, firmly establishing himself as the No. 1 option in Joe Mazzulla’s high-powered offense.
Earlier this week, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens was asked about Tatum’s progress but was unable to provide a tentative return date for the star forward.
“We won’t put a projected timeline on him for a long, long time … It’s baby steps right now,” Stevens said, tempering expectations for Tatum’s recovery. This essentially means the Celtics fans should prepare to be without Tatum for a significant portion of the 2025-26 season as Stevens retools the roster.
Boston has been active this offseason, acquiring talented scorer Anfernee Simons from the Portland Trail Blazers and versatile forward Georges Niang from the Atlanta Hawks. Both players are expected to play key roles in Tatum’s absence as the Celtics look to remain competitive in the Eastern Conference.
