Donte DiVincenzo knows exactly who he can lean on while working his way back from an Achilles tear, and Jayson Tatum has been at the front of that line.
DiVincenzo said at Timberwolves media day that he has spoken with Damian Lillard, Tyrese Haliburton and Tatum during rehab, but Tatum has stood out most.
“I've talked to Dame, Ty, and JT, and they've helped me in different aspects,” DiVincenzo said at Timberwolves media day. “I would say I probably talked to JT the most, and it's been very, very helpful.
Those days or weeks where you're going, you feel like you're not gaining as much ground as you should. you talk to those guys, and they kind of help push you along. Like, ‘alright, you're doing this better than what I did at that point.
I did X, Y, Z better. So, it's different.
So, just to get their perspective of what they did doesn't necessarily translate to exactly what I'm doing, but you know, it does help throughout the process.”
That kind of guidance matters to a player in the middle of a long, grinding recovery. DiVincenzo is five months into the process, and if his timeline lines up with Tatum’s, a January return could be possible. His stated goal is to play this season.
Tatum’s experience has made him a particularly valuable voice. He tore his Achilles in May of 2025, then returned to the floor nine months later, an unusually fast turnaround for an injury that has sidelined plenty of players for far longer.
His rehab path included surgery the day after the injury, a top surgeon in the field and an innovative new technique that allowed him to get into rehab quickly. DiVincenzo followed the same route.
Tatum’s concern started the moment DiVincenzo got hurt. After Boston beat Philadelphia in Game 4 of their opening-round series, Tatum said, “I was definitely sick to my stomach yesterday seeing them go down cause I know exactly how he's feeling,” Tatum said after his Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 4 of their opening-round series. “I know exactly what he has to go through.”
He added in May, “I never want anybody to go through that injury and just what's to come in the rehab process,” Tatum said back in May. “I know for a fact I'm going to reach out to him at some point.
It just happened yesterday and there’s a lot going on for him. You never want to see anybody injured, especially that one.”
For DiVincenzo, the advice has helped steady the day-to-day work. He said the backing from Minnesota’s staff and the familiar faces around the building have made the process easier to handle.
“Having a good support group, good people around you, I think that's the most important thing for me,” he said. “Rehabbing here all summer, we've had people in and out of the building, so I'm around all the same faces, all the same people, and just speaking my mind. They're giving me their inputs on everything, and it's just you know it feels as normal as it could be.”
In Other News...
Celtics Preseason Will Be The First Test Of Bostons New Core
Bostons preseason arrives with a very different look this fall, and it will give the Celtics their first real chance to see how the new pieces fit around the edges of a reshaped core. After the trade that sent Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia, the roster now features Paul George, Mike Conley Jr. and Mitchell Robinson, a group that changes both the tone and the responsibilities at the start of camp.
The exhibition schedule will be the first public measuring stick for how quickly the Celtics can build chemistry before the regular season opener and the first stretch of games that follows. Fans will be able to watch on NBC Sports Boston or stream the action on DIRECTV, and with the training camp roster already set, the focus now shifts to how this new version of Boston handles its first live test. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Suddenly Have A Low-Risk Shot At Former Top-10 Talent
Rob Dillinghams NBA path has taken a sharp turn since he came into the league as the eighth overall pick in the 2024 draft. After stops with the Timberwolves and Bulls, the former top-10 talent was waived by the Hornets and is now an unrestricted free agent, which has put him back on the market at a point where teams can look at him more as a project than a finished product.
For Boston, that makes the situation worth watching. The Celtics are reportedly considering bringing Dillingham in on a two-way contract, a move that would give them a low-risk chance to add a young guard with real pedigree without making a major commitment. In a market where upside often costs more than certainty, this is the kind of flyer that can make sense for a team trying to stay flexible while still adding talent. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Just Got An Easier Call In Their Center Battle
Mitchell Robinsons arrival gives Boston another big body in the middle, but it also appears to take some pressure off the Celtics as they sort out the center rotation. Robinson said whether he starts or comes off the bench is not a major concern for him, which matters for a team that has spent time figuring out how to keep the frontcourt stable while still maximizing what each center does best.
For Joe Mazzulla, the cleaner answer may be to leave Neemias Queta in the starting role and let Robinson ease in behind him. Queta has been steady enough that Boston does not need to force a change, and the numbers the team values most on the glass and at the rim are close enough to Robinsons that the Celtics can keep their edge without overcomplicating things. It also helps that the old foul-line workaround against Robinson should be less inviting if Queta is handling the early minutes. [Read more 🡒]