Jayson Tatum Undecided on Return as Achilles Recovery Continues
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum says he's still weighing whether he’ll suit up this season as he continues to recover from a torn Achilles tendon suffered last May. The All-NBA forward, who went down in Game 4 of the 2025 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Knicks, has yet to make a decision about his return, telling ESPN that he's still "undecided" about playing this year.
The injury - a devastating Achilles tear - came just a year after Tatum helped lead the Celtics to the 2024 NBA Championship, a five-game triumph over the Dallas Mavericks that solidified Boston’s return to the league’s elite. Tatum was instrumental in that run, playing some of the best basketball of his career. But the road back from an Achilles injury is never easy, even for a player of his caliber.
Tatum, a St. Louis native and former Duke standout, was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
He spent just one season in Durham, averaging 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game during the 2016-17 season. That Blue Devils squad went 28-9 before being knocked out by South Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Tatum’s college career was short but electric - his 28-point performance against Virginia on February 15, 2017, still stands out as a glimpse of the star he would become.
Since entering the league, Tatum has steadily evolved into one of the NBA’s premier two-way wings. A six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection, he’s averaged 23.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game over his career. That kind of production - consistent, high-level, and often clutch - has made him not just a face of the Celtics, but one of the defining players of his generation.
The Achilles injury, sustained at Madison Square Garden, was a gut punch - not just for Boston, but for fans of the game. Tatum had been playing at an MVP-caliber level, and the Celtics looked poised for another deep playoff run. Instead, the focus shifted to rehab timelines and recovery protocols.
Tatum spoke candidly in October about the recovery process. In an interview with DJ Siddiqi of Poker Strategy, he explained that while people often focus on the timeline of an Achilles comeback, the real story is in the strength benchmarks - getting the injured leg back to equal or greater strength than the healthy one.
“Everybody thinks it’s a time-based recovery. Time is obviously important,” Tatum said.
“But you have to hit certain benchmarks. The most important thing is all these tests of your strength - the strength in your calf, the strength in your leg.
Getting into the same strength as your left calf or even stronger.”
He added that he’s confident in the surgical repair and the rehab plan, noting, “We won’t have that problem again.”
That kind of confidence is encouraging - and it’s a reminder of how meticulous today’s recovery processes have become. Achilles injuries used to be career-altering.
Now, with the right surgery and rehab, players are returning to elite form. But the key is patience, and Tatum seems to understand that.
Whether he returns this season or waits until next, the Celtics - and the league - will be eager to see him back on the floor. For now, Tatum’s focus is clearly on getting it right, not rushing the process. And for a player who’s already accomplished so much, that’s the kind of long-term thinking that could extend his prime for years to come.