The picture came across in a text message Thursday afternoon.
“Young fella has bounced back nicely”
Jayson Tatum, arms folded and smiling, was standing with Boston Celtics assistant coach Amile Jefferson at Chris Paul’s CP3 Elite Camp in Las Vegas. And while the focus of the event was the young high school and college players being put through their paces and showing their skills, the messaging scout figured the update on Tatum would be of interest to a Boston-based NBA writer.
The Celtic star went down with a ruptured eight Achilles’ tendon late in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series loss to the Knicks. Tatum remained in New York and underwent surgery the next day at the Hospital for Special Surgery.
Heavy SportsA photo of Celtics star Jayson Tatum and assistant coach Amile Jefferson at Chris Paul’s camp that was sent to Heavy’s Steve Bulpett.
There has been no timetable released regarding his return to play, but, assuming continued progress and no setbacks, the possibility of him rejoining the Celts late in the regular season has not been ruled out. (On the other hand, the Indiana Pacers have stated that Tyrese Halliburton will miss the entire 2025-26 season after suffering a similar injury in Game 7 of the NBA Finals more than a month later.)
‘He Was Moving Really Well,’ a Scout Said About Jayson Tatum
The untrained eyes in Las Vegas this week offered optimism.
“He was moving really well,” said the scout in a phone conversation with Heavy Sports later that day. “There might have been a slight limp or something, but the surprising thing to me is that he didn’t have a boot for any of it.
“I’m no doctor, but I’ve seen guys coming back from Achilles’ tears, and he looked way ahead. I was kind of shocked to see how well he was moving. I have no idea for what any of this means for when he can come back. I’m sure him and the Celtics’ medical people have their program set up, and they’ll make sure that he’s where he needs to be when he does get back. But he looks great right now. Of course, he didn’t do any running or even jogging, but he was in great shape and he had no trouble doing his part at the camp.”
Tatum Was Working With Wings at Chris Paul’s Camp
Chris Paul was said to be coaching up the point guards, while Tatum was shepherding the wings.
All 30 NBA teams had representatives at the event that showcases players from Nike and Jordan Brand colleges, high schools and AAU programs.
“Those of us in the scouts section weren’t really watching Jayson closely; we’re all here trying to evaluate guys we’ll be drafting in a year or two,” the scout said. “Some of the scouts haven’t seen the high school guys, so you’ve really got to lock in on who’s playing well. Guys are watching shot arcs and all kinds of stuff.
“This is the third iteration of this camp. This year and last year, he’s run it with Chris Paul. The year before — the inaugural year — he had at his camp in St. Louis Cooper Flagg, VJ Edgecomb… he literally had most of the top picks from this year’s draft. Teams really have to pay attention.”
And with anything involving Tatum, the Celtics and their followers are casting a keen eye, as well.
