Nine months after rupturing his Achilles tendon against the New York Knicks in the NBA Playoffs, Jayson Tatum is still working hard to get back on the court for the Boston Celtics, potentially this season.
Earlier this week, the Celtics announced that Tatum was being assigned to their G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics, for practice on Monday.
On Tuesday, NBA insider Shams Charania shared an encouraging update about how it went.
“Jayson Tatum participated fully in his first 5-on-5 scrimmage with Celtics rostered players, two-way players, G League players, not just coaches,” Charania said on NBA Today on Tuesday. “And everyone I spoke to with knowledge of Monday’s practice told me Tatum looked great. He’s been ramping up.”
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Charania explained that while Tatum has already been doing controlled 5-on-5 scrimmages with coaches, playing with teammates and actual NBA players has been a step up.
That’s exciting news for Boston fans, who are still hoping to see Tatum this season. The Celtics have still managed to go 34-19 and have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference without him, but getting him back in time for the playoffs would give their championship odds a massive boost.
Charania added that Boston still needs to decide whether to bring Tatum back this season, but it sounds like he’s still trending in the right direction.
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In the meantime, the Celtics will try to win their final game before the All-Star Break when they host the Chicago Bulls at TD Garden on Wednesday night.
Featured image via Kamil Krzaczynski/Imagn Images
