Everything Jayson Tatum Said About His Knee, Rehab, Game 7, In His Exit Interview

Jayson Tatum held his exit interview on Sunday, the day after missing the Boston Celtics Game 7 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers with tightness in his left knee.

Here’s everything he said, with additional analysis from me.

On what happened to his knee:

“Yeah, just experienced some tightness back there. It was just unfortunate timing, but I guess a little bit to be expected. I was away for 10 ½ months and then I came back and I'm playing every other day and I was playing 36 to 40 minutes. So it's not unusual that something would come up. It was just kind of tough because rehab was just going so well the entire time. I guess it was inevitable at some point that I was going to have to deal with something. And it just kind of came at the worst possible time.”

One what changed with his knee between Game 6 and Game 7:

“It was just with the staff and medical team and [trainer] Nick [Sang], they just kind of assessed everything that was going on. And I'm still in the window. I was in the window of return to play protocol and there were just certain rules and a plan that ultimately that we had to stick by. And it was tough, obviously, working as hard as I did to come back and to be available and for it to come to a Game 7, not be able to be out there. I just keep saying this was unfortunate and it's tough to deal with, but it's a plan that we have to stick to.”

On the decision to miss Game 7 being taken out of his hands:

“I mean, yeah, we went through all the progressions. We crossed every T, dotted every I, checked off every box. And like I said, it's just the nature of it. I was out for 10 months and then I came back and started playing and I was playing high minutes. And that's tough for anybody. And it's not like out of this world that something came up or experienced some tightness in some part of your body. And like I said, just unfortunate timing. I didn't have any hiccups the first 50 weeks and it was just, I guess maybe it was bound to happen at some point, just tough timing when it did happen.”

Analysis: There is some thought out there that he could have tried to push through the stiffness and tried to play because it was Game 7, but that's not a chance I personally would have taken.

The issue is that the right leg is still not 100%, and if he tried to play in Game 7 then he would have put stress on the right leg to compensate and carry a bigger workload. That just doesn’t make sense.

If his right leg had been fully healthy, I think he would have played in Game 7. I think that's what he was saying by mentioning the return to play protocol. The decision is often his own to make, and this time it wasn’t.

The timing of it couldn't have been worse, but then again, that's also Boston’s own fault for not handling their business in Game 5 and finishing things off when they had the chance. Then Tatum could have rested and been closer to 100% for Game 1 of the second round.

Playing unnecessary minutes leads to unnecessary situations.

On watching the end of Game 7

“It was tough. I was, I mean, I was upset. I was sad. I was disappointed all day that once I found out, or talked about I wasn’t going to be able to play yesterday. Just because, like, I didn’t think it was going to end that way. I spent too much time on the bench watching the team play so I knew how that felt. It just kind of never really crossed my mind, that once I came back everything was going so well. So to have to sit yesterday in the biggest game of the season and just not being able to be out there and be a part of that, obviously because everybody knows how much I care about this game and love being out there. So just having to sit there in that moment, it was just tough. It was frustrating.”

Analysis: You were not alone, Jayson. A lot of people were just as frustrated watching that game.

On the failures of Games 5 and 6

“It’s a game of runs. The critical point in the third quarter of Game 5, I think we were up 13 or 12, and I think we just made some mistakes and they went on a run and I always say it’s two teams out there playing, and they’re a really talented team. I know they were a 7 seed but Embiid was out a lot, Maxey was injured, Paul George was dealing with some things. So it caused them to have a unique record where their record didn’t necessarily match the production and talent of that team mixed with their coaching staff. And they just kind of found their momentum. We had our moments, had our chances and opportunities. We just didn’t capitalize when we needed to.”

Analysis: The Celtics reacted poorly to the Sixers taking away their catch-and-shoot opportunities. They barely went to secondary actions after the first ones stalled.

The way to attack the Sixers and Embiid is to make Embiid move and make the guys on the perimeter make decisions. The Celtics played slow and into the Sixers hands.

They did it in Game 5, acknowledged the situation, and then came out in Game 6 and did more of the same. I don’t know if it’s arrogance, like Brian Scalabrine said, or if it’s something else, but the Celtics didn’t react the way I would expect a champion to react.

On missing out on the potential second round matchup versus New York:

“I mean, yeah. My recovery and comeback were going so well that how it ended, I didn't think it was going to end that way. Not necessarily regret. It was just unfortunate. I worked really, really, really, really hard to come back in the fashion that I did and play at the level I was playing at. So for it to end the way it did was a tough pill to swallow.”

On whether he would have been able to play against the Knicks in the second round

“I mean, it was definitely a day to day thing. It sounds pretty vague but you know it's just something we would have assessed from day to day. It wasn't like a long term thing. I know for a fact I would have been able to play this if we'd have made it to the 2nd round. We would just take it day by day.”

Analysis: This was setting up perfectly. Tatum was going to conquer his final boss by beating the Knicks at MSG and walking off the floor triumphantly in a full circle moment.

Unfortunately, the basketball gods rejected my script. They consulted with the rest of the Boston sports gods and it was decided that it didn’t fit the rest of the sports scene.

It’s too bad, because that would have been a fun storyline. Of course, I actually would have picked against them in that series, especially if Tatum was limited in any way.

On the balance between being grateful to return and disappointed to lose early:

“It's a fine line. And like I said, since the day I had surgery, rehab just went so well and we just kept climbing and defying the odds and doing things that people didn't think were possible and the whole nine. So it doesn't mean that I'm indestructible or hiccups don't happen along the way. And then just when it did, it just happened to be at a very unfortunate time. But in the big picture of things, today is May 3rd. I tore my Achilles on May 12th, so it hasn't even been a full year yet. So just what I was able to accomplish in coming back and with the help of my teammates and the staff and, all things considered, for me to even be able to come back and play and play at the level I was playing at even at 80, 85% ... one of my legs is still smaller than the other one. And so now that I get a long offseason to really get back to 110%, I guess that's the silver lining of it all.”

On how he envisions the next few months going:

"Today is Sunday, so Tuesday will be 51 weeks. The last 51 weeks I've been extremely dedicated. Countless hours of rehab. Getting my strength back. Learning how to walk again and run and jump and get back to conditioning. Hit all these benchmarks so I was able to play. For me now, that was an accomplishment of what I was able to do. Like I said, it hasn't even been a full year yet. I think the biggest thing for me is like I'm proud of the fact that I was able to prove to myself that I could play this game at a very, very high level. Even not being 100% of myself or what I'm capable of. So now, checking that box off mentally that because that was a question in my head and there were doubts of will I be able to be the same player, will I be able to play at a high level after this injury? Now I've proven it and showed that, even at 80-85% of myself. Now, getting an extended period of time to deload and take some time off and come back next season 100%, 110% ready. Get my body right and get my right calf bigger compared to my left one. I'm excited about that."

Analysis: First of all, we finally got some specifics here from Tatum, saying that one leg is bigger than the other and that he was at 80-85%. So that's good to finally know.

Secondly, he’s 100% right about how well things have gone and how the hiccups should have been expected. The word “inevitable” that he used earlier is very telling. His recovery went so well that few of us ever considered this side of it. He’d blown through so many of our expectations that we put the concerns aside and started treating him like a normal person.

He wasn’t. He was still rehabbing.

Now he gets to take a month off, sit on a beach, relax, and let everything in his body calm down before getting back to work for next season. It’s been a while since he’s been able to do that. Take advantage of the situation.

On being excited about next season:

“Yeah, the team was super, super exciting and fun to watch this season. There's only one team that can win the championship, and it's always tough to lose whenever it does happen, beginning of May or end of June, it's always a tough pill to swallow. I don't think how it ended should take away from the growth of each guy in that locker room and the steps that they all made this season and from what the expectations were of this team to being a 2 seed and everybody having an important role and showing their value, and just doing it together. This team was a joy to watch and it was a joy to be a part of when I was able to join them. Obviously I've been through this a bunch. You never know exactly what's gonna happen or the team might look different and whatnot, but, I found a level of appreciation for just being present in the moment, being thankful for, experiencing moments with certain groups and you know this group is definitely one of them.”

Analysis: I appreciate what the injury did to Tatum’s perspective. I wish more athletes could have that perspective without have to have the game ripped away from them first, but sometimes that kind of loss is what wakes a person up to the fragile nature of being a professional athlete.

Tatum should be excited about next season. He now has five months to recharge, rejuvenate, and return to form. He will start next season as “Jayson Tatum.”

No more rehab questions. No more “how did it feel.” Once those lingering questions are answered in the preseason, it will just be normal Tatum and the normal Celtics, however they look five months from now.

On the sense of urgency this summer

“I mean, yeah, we always want to win. We always want to be competitive. We always have been competitive. We've always been at the top of the East. It's hard. I mean, it's hard to win in this league.That's why nobody has repeated since the Warriors. It's tough. You Things got to go right. Health is obviously a big factor. So, I mean, sense of urgency? There's always been a sense of urgency since my rookie year, and that won't change. The main goal has always been the same.”

Analysis: Next season should be a contending year for the Celtics. This summer is about pushing the Celtics back to the top of the East WITH the expectations of making a deep playoff run. Jaylen Brown will turn 30 at the beginning of next season and Tatum will be 29 by the end of it. We’re turning the corner to the final chapter of these two guys. Two thirds of their time in Boston is now gone. One third remains.

Tatum’s point is well taken. There is always urgency. However, there is a little added sense of it for the team. They don’t have many years left before things will change. It won’t be long before the Celtics moves get a little more desperate as they try to wedge their championship window open just a little longer.

On whether coming back was the right call

“100% I'm very happy that I came back to be a part of his team, to get back to doing what I love, to help us, give us a chance to compete for a championship, to prove to myself that I can get back to being the guy who I was, and hopefully better. And just to kind of defy what this injury kind of means, not necessarily from the standpoint of, like, ‘I'm great, look at what I was able to accomplish,’ but to give other guys hope that obviously, I don't want anybody to have to go through tearing their Achilles. But in the unfortunate event that it does happen, that I can be sort of inspiration, of like, if you attack rehab a certain way, if you follow these guidelines, or do it a certain way, that it's not like a career ending injury, that you can't come back, that you can be yourself, that you can be better, that it won't take 18 months, that you can come back whenever it is right for you. So I'm happy and proud of the fact that I was able to do that. And, unfortunately, if somebody else has to deal with this, they can look at what I was able to do and have some hope and inspiration that it's not what people used to think it was. And you can come back from this and be who you were and hopefully be better.”

Analysis: I had said earlier this year that when Tatum returned to the lineup, the 2025-26 season ended and the 2026-27 preseason began. Then the Celtics kept winning, Tatum looked much better than expected, and I backed off that sentiment because it looked like they had a chance to make a run.

It turns out I was right the first time. Tatum’s return was essentially part of the preseason preparation for ‘26-’27, and if you look at it that way, it went perfectly.

Tatum got to play meaningful minutes, become himself again, and regain the confidence in his body. He learned where he was, what his limitations were, and what he needed to do to fix things. He has all the information he needs to go into the summer and get himself right for next year. Even the knee stiffness is good information for him to take into the summer.

Now that it’s over, I can say that from a Tatum rehab perspective, his return went nearly perfectly. He got everything he needed out of it and now he has a plan for fixing what needs to be fixed.

Considering where things started, this alone makes this season a success for Boston.

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