Image Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

“I Don’t Go to Rehab Six Days a Week for Nothing”- Jayson Tatum Drops Hints at Possible Return This Season

Tatum suffered an ACL injury during the Celtics’ semifinals clash against the New York Knicks, putting an end to his season.

Image Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum dropped a positive update on his return and said that he could make a comeback in the NBA 2025-26 season. Tatum suffered an ACL injury during the Celtics’ semifinals clash against the New York Knicks, putting an end to his season. The injury required him to undergo a surgery the following day and has been in rehab since then. Though no timeline is guaranteed, Tatum didn’t close doors on his return in the upcoming season.

Speaking on ESPN’s First Take on Tuesday, the 27-year-old said, “I haven’t said I’m not playing this season.” “The most important thing is a full recovery, and I’m not rushing it at all. But also, I don’t go to rehab six days a week for nothing,” he added.

Jayson Tatum Talks About Struggles Faced During Recovery

Tatum talked about the struggles he faced during the recovery of his season-ending injury. ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith asked Tatum about the toughest thing he faced during the entire process, to which the star player replied that it is difficult to pinpoint something but one of the first few challenges he faced was accepting that something had happened.

“It’s tough to pinpoint what is the toughest part. I think the first phase is accepting that this happened. I was in disbelief for about two weeks,” the six-time NBA All-Star said. “And the other tough part was ever since I was a kid, I could always envision myself getting drafted, winning the championship, having my own shoe, covering 2K, all the things. This was the first time it was hard. I couldn’t envision, with me sitting there at my mom’s house with my foot elevated, and it’s like it was hard to envision playing basketball.”

The toll of the injury went far beyond court for Tatum. In one of his interviews he said that he heard his Achilles pop and fell to the ground right after it. He also recalled breaking down in tears in the locker room, and his entire basketball career flashed in front of his eyes.

Tatum played a total of 72 games in the last regular season, where he averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game. He led the side to finish second in the Eastern Conference with a solid 61-21 record. In the postseason, the 2024 NBA Champion averaged 28.1 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 5.4 assists across eight appearances.

Jayson Tatum

Garima Ranawat

Garima is a sports writer with around two years of experience in Indian sports and a newfound interest in the NBA. Inspired by the leadership of cricketing legend MS Dhoni, she wishes to bring in newer perspectives to the NBA fanatics with her writing.