Former Celtics Forward Has Been Keeping Tabs On Jayson Tatum

Since suffering a torn Achilles tendon in the 2025 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks, Jayson Tatum has been sidelined with no set date for his return to the court. Over the past two months, Tatum has slowly been ramping up his recovery, with multiple clips surfacing on social media.

With each new video post, fans are growing increasingly hopeful that the four-time All-NBA First-Team selection will be back in Joe Mazzulla’s rotation before the end of the season. That hope has only grown stronger as the Celtics have proven they’re still one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference.

During a recent interview with Daniel Donabedian of ClutchPoints, former Celtics forward Blake Griffin revealed that he’s been keeping tabs on Tatum throughout his recovery process.

“I’ve talked to him a lot over this process,” Griffin said. “I’ve just checked in like every, I don’t know, couple weeks — 2, 3, 4 weeks, something like that. I dealt with a lot of injuries, and being away from the team or just rehab can be extremely tedious, but I think it can also be lonely. I think that’s what people don’t realize.”

Despite his injury, Tatum has regularly been spotted on or near the Celtics’ bench this season. He’s lending his voice to the younger talents and helping in any way he can. Most importantly, he’s remained ingrained in the team’s process, which surely helps limit the risk of him feeling isolated in his recovery.

Still, having former teammates and players from around the league checking in on him will certainly help keep him focused. Even now, with Tatum doing more and more on-court work, he’s still months away from being medically cleared.

Nevertheless, we’ve all seen some snapshots of the work Tatum has been putting in behind the scenes. He’s attacked his rehab with professionalism and a hunger to get back to his best. Still, that level of focus and commitment isn’t possible without having a good support network around him.