Celtics’ Payton Pritchard Makes Bold Prediction on Jayson Tatum Future

Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard made a bold claim regarding teammate Jayson Tatum's recovery from his Achilles injury.

During media day for the Celtics, Pritchard shared some insights into the behind-the-scenes of Tatum's rehabilitation process and the work that has already been done, bringing him back on the court just a couple of months after surgery.

Tatum's injury occurred during the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals when the face of the franchise dove for a ball on the floor and ended up tearing his Achilles, a devastating injury that usually takes a full calendar year to recover from.

The injury also tends to sap an athlete's explosiveness, limiting their athletic ability and leading to a loss in production.

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Pritchard, however, believes that Tatum has done incredible work during the offseason and could come back improved.

"You never want to see somebody get injured like that. But watching how he's been able to approach every day and the spirit he has is unbelievable," Pritchard said during media day.

"And I think he'll be better than what he was before. That's the type of mentality he has, and that's the type of work he's putting in.

"So I've been here since second week of August, back and forth, even in the beginning of summer. And he's been in here every day training. So you definitely know he's motivated.