Celtics' Jayson Tatum Already Making Insane Progress in Achilles Recovery

The Boston Celtics had a horrible end to the playoffs this past season. Not only did they lose to the New York Knicks in six games, but they also lost their best player to a brutal injury.

Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles during that second-round series, which was a brutal injury. That's an injury that usually takes a full year to recover from.

Tatum had surgery on the Achilles less than 24 hours after the injury in an effort to expedite the healing process. Tatum is working hard to recover as fast as possible.

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Tatum has made very good progress in less than three months since the injury. He was recently seen walking around without a walking boot.

Jayson Tatum already walking without a boot under 3 months after tearing his achilles. Great sign in his recovery 🙏 (via thejaysontatumfoundation/IG)

(h/t @HoHighlights)

pic.twitter.com/wP5kDrDjRD
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 28, 2025

There were rumors that the reason why Tatum had the surgery so quickly after suffering the injury because the Celtics thought it would expedite his recovery to somewhere in the seven-to-nine month range.

Of course, Boston is not going to rush him back for any reason. If he needs more time to recover, they are going to allow him to do that. They don't have a problem taking a gap year.

Trading two starters away, with likely more trades to come, indicates that the Celtics don't believe they have a true chance to compete for a championship next year.

The Celtics feel that they can compete for a title every year that both Tatum and Jaylen Brown are healthy. They are still targeting 2026-27 as a year to contend for the championship again.

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Boston is going to have a lot of new guys fighting for a rotation spot with Tatum out of the lineup for the first few months of the season. Ideally, he could play a few games at the end of the regular season.

Having Tatum play a few games at the end of the regular season would allow him to be fully ready to go for the 2026-27 season. That is what the Celtics would consider the best-case scenario.

This past season, Tatum averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and six assists per game.

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For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, visit Boston Celtics on SI.