Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum underwent a successful surgery to repair his ruptured right Achilles tendon on Tuesday. The team announced that the star forward is expected to make a full recovery, but did not release a timetable for his return to action. On Wednesday afternoon, Marc J. Spears, who had a conversation with Tatum's father, Justin, shared an update on the star's procedure and how long it could take him to get back onto the court.
"Jayson actually had a surgery from the same guy that did [Kevin] Durant's surgery, and did Tiger Wood's surgery," Spears explained on NBA Today. "He had it the next day. His dad says that he expects him to be out eight to nine months."
Tatum won't let the injury define him and is eager to get back onto the court
During the fourth quarter of Wednesday's Game 5 Celtics win over the New York Knicks, Reggie Miller shared a message that Tatum sent to him during the TNT broadcast.
"I'm devastated by this and I appreciate all the love and support from everyone," Tatum wrote in the text. "This injury will not define me and I can't wait to be back in Celtic green to show you why."
Tatum suffered the injury about 48 hours prior when he went down late in the fourth quarter of Boston's Game 4 loss in New York. The star forward had to be helped off the court and did not return to the game after being wheeled to the Celtics locker room.
This is the first major injury Tatum has suffered since being drafted by the Celtics in 2017. He's been an unbelievably important and durable player for them in his time in Boston, appearing in 585 of 636 possible regular-season games. As if that wasn't enough, he's also missed just two of 122 possible playoff games in his eight seasons as a pro.
"Losing JT is tough, especially for how much work he puts into the game and works on his body and everything he does to compete every night," said Derrick White postgame Wednesday. Seeing him go down was tough."
Tatum will likely be named to his fifth All-NBA team after his impressive 2024-25 campaign.
The 27-year-old appeared in 72 games for Boston this season, averaging 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per outing.
He has been an integral part of the franchise's sustained success for years and will most definitely be missed as he builds himself back up into playing shape.
