Paul Pierce didn’t mince words when talking about Jayson Tatum’s injury. Even though the Boston Celtics grabbed the 2024 NBA championship and came into the 2024-25 postseason expecting another trip to the Finals, things ended earlier than planned. The Celtics watched their playoff run come to a stop in the second round, taken out by the New York Knicks.
Adding to the frustration, Tatum tore his Achilles tendon late in that series against New York. This kind of injury is no joke, and Tatum required surgery to repair the tendon. For some, it can mean the end of a professional basketball career. But Pierce sees something different. The former Celtics star shared his take, insisting Tatum’s days at the top aren’t done yet.
Can Jayson Tatum Emulate Kevin Durant and Paul George?
When most people tear an Achilles, they eventually get back to walking and everyday activity without issue. But for NBA players, guys pushing their bodies game after game, there’s way more riding on the recovery. No one really knows if they’ll ever look like their old self on the floor again.
Pierce has been around the block, playing 19 years in the NBA, most of them wearing Celtics green. Now, maybe he’s trying to fire up Tatum, the star expected to carry Boston into the future. In a recent interview, Pierce made one thing clear: he believes Tatum will bounce back just fine.
“Usually an Achilles injury, they take a whole year…Yeah but then you know after a whole year you start getting back. We’ve got cases of it. Paul George, KD [Kevin Durant] they looking good after they came back from Achilles. So I’m not worried about him (Tatum) getting back to where he was before he got hurt.”
“I’m not worried about him getting back to where he was before he got hurt.”
— Paul Pierce on Jayson Tatum’s injurypic.twitter.com/0AH1TlWXin
— jb (@lockedupjb) August 19, 2025
Pierce points to Paul George and Kevin Durant as success stories, and while both stars were indeed affected by injuries, George has never torn his Achilles. In 2014, he suffered a gruesome tibia fracture that kept him out for an entire season. Durant did tear his Achilles tendon and returned after missing 18 months. Durant has been able to return to a high level of performance.
For Tatum, this injury couldn’t have come at a tougher time. The Celtics wing is 27, smack in the middle of what’s seen as an NBA player’s prime, the ages between 26 and 30.
Boston fans can’t help but wonder what might have been, since Tatum had just entered his best years when his ACL gave way. Last season, he put up 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and six assists per game. But looking ahead to his first year back on the court, it’s likely those numbers will take a hit, with expectations floating around 20 points, five assists, and five rebounds for his return run.
Even so, Tatum has time. He isn’t turning 30 soon, so he could still get close to his old form a year or two down the road. It’s not out of the question that he could even come back stronger, joining a select group of stars who rise after major injuries.
Of course, stacking that kind of pressure on Tatum isn’t really fair, but Boston doesn’t lack for ambition. The championship run wasn’t long ago, and expectations are already building again. Word around the team is they’ll “take things slow” this season, keeping their eyes on another real run at a title when their star is all the way back.
