It had been relatively quiet on the Jayson Tatum rehab front — until Monday morning.
That’s when the Celtics star conspicuously went through a full-hour workout during Boston’s shootaround in Detroit with a full contingent of media watching. Up until that point, Tatum had mostly been going through his workouts away from the cameras, which is why Monday’s session — in which appeared to ramp up the intensity and threw down several dunks — felt notable.
So, just how close is Tatum to returning from the ruptured Achilles he suffered in last May’s playoff series with the Knicks? And when might we know that his return is imminent?
On Monday night’s Celtics Talk Podcast after Boston’s last-second loss to the Detroit Pistons, Celtics Insider Chris Forsberg shared his belief that we might not get much warning before Tatum is upgraded from “Out” to “Questionable” on the team’s injury report.
“I think we’re going to be surprised when it just kind of goes to another gear. That would be my guess, is that they’ll just get to a point,” Forsberg told co-host Tom Giles.
“You’re supposed to see some sort of ramp-up; when guys are coming back from a long injury, I think we’re supposed to be able to talk to them two weeks before they’re back on the court. Now, maybe the Celtics will do that. Maybe they’ll trot him out at some point and sort of signal (a return), but most of the time, it just doesn’t happen.
“Sometimes they just check some final box in terms of strength, or the medical staff clears them and all of a sudden just one day … he’ll pop up (on the injury report) and he’ll questionable, and then available.”
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But when might that day come? It’s been just over eight months since Tatum’s injury on May 12, and anywhere from nine to 12 months seems like a reasonable recovery timeline based on how other NBA players have recovered from the injury. (Miami’s Dru Smith, for example, came back this season just nine months after tearing his Achilles.)
As Forsberg pointed out, Tatum has said he wants his first game back to be at TD Garden, and there are only five Celtics home games in the month of February due to the NBA All-Star break:
- Feb. 1 vs. Bucks
- Feb. 6 vs. Heat
- Feb. 8 vs. Knicks
- Feb. 11 vs. Bulls
- Feb. 27 vs. Nets
“The unique situation here is … he has been very open and honest that he wants the first game to be a home game,” Forsberg said. “The Celtics open up on the road coming out of the All-Star break, and there’s one other home game at the end of the month, and it’s not a very endearing matchup (vs. Brooklyn).”
“So, now you’re pushing into March, which I do think was his original timeline. But I think he’s made so much progress that there’s at least the idea of, ‘Can he be ready for February?’ Again, I think there’s still some boxes to check. I’m not even sure they know in their minds if they’ve started circling dates or not.
“But there are some intriguing dates in February that would be more exciting than others — especially if the football team in New England continues on its path.”
If the Patriots beat the Denver Broncos in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game, they’d advance to the Super Bowl on Feb. 8 — the same day of the Celtics’ matinee showdown with the rival Knicks.
How would that be for an exciting sports day in Boston?
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