Former Celtic Says He Talked To Jayson Tatum, Drops Major Hint About Tatum's Return

Grant Williams is close with Tatum, and his recent conversations reveal where Tatum's head is as he seems close to a return.

Apr 12, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) talks with former teammate Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams (2) in the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

BOSTON — Grant Williams knows the process all too well. 

He is only a few weeks into his own return from a major injury, a torn ACL suffered in November 2024. 

“I tried to hold in tears after the game because I knew … this isn’t a normal injury,” Williams told reporters at TD Garden before the Hornets blew out the Celtics Wednesday night. “But then, after all those emotions come to your mind, you start realizing you take it as a challenge and how you can improve and come back, and make sure you don’t have to be in that position again.”

Williams and Tatum are close friends. It’s been nearly three years since the trade, but Williams and Tatum still talk, and Williams offered his advice on the recovery from a major injury, while giving the media a big hint about where Tatum’s head is. 

“I talked to JT a couple weeks ago,” Williams said. “We were both kind of — just talking about the process, what it’s like, asking about the getting back into play, returning to play progression.” 

Tatum has said he has reached out to other athletes about their process of getting through their injuries. Him asking Williams about the return to play progression is very telling, and it fits the timeline that Tatum seems to be following. It tracks with what Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, appearing on FanDuel TV, said. 

“Every indication I've been getting is that we are getting very close,” he said. “If it's not Friday, it's at some point, quickly after that, I think we've gone past the point of, will he be back, and now it's down to when he will come back.”

Tatum had his surgery on May 13, which puts him very close to 10 months post-injury. Williams says he warned Tatum that the recovery could mess with his mind, giving him hope and then frustration. 

“I told JT you’re gonna hit these gains and it’s gonna feel great, and then all of a sudden it’s gonna just slow down,” Williams said. “That’s when you have to mentally focus on yourself and really improve on the mental side.” 

The mental side is the final hurdle for Tatum. He’s in the ramp-up phase of the recovery, which means the tendon is fully healed. His body now has to rebuild all the supporting muscles that have experienced some sort of atrophy over time, while increasing his lung capacity again. Once that is all done, Tatum has to make sure he’s confident enough in his body to get back on the floor. 

“He looks good,” Derrick White said of Tatum, who is back to on-court work with the team. “Playing, moving, it’s been good to see him back and getting up and down. So, you kind of see all the work he’s put in to get to this point, and it’s been great to see him be able to do what he loves to do.”

It’s a process, but Tatum seems to be taking the final steps. 

Basketball misses him,” Williams said. “I think his team misses him as well, and they're gonna roll with him when he gets back.”