Doubts Rise Around Jayson Tatum’s Injury Despite Recent Recovery Video

“Mom, I might be done. I don’t know if I’ll be able to overcome this or if I’m up for this challenge.” Making a comeback from his Achilles tear was not just a physical battle. It took a toll on the Celtics superstar, Jayson Tatum, and he even questioned everything while talking to his support system, his mother. It’s less than 20 weeks since the dreaded injury on the hardwood, and the signs of recovery took everyone by surprise. However, there is still some skepticism about his involvement this year.

For context, Achilles’ tear of the kind Tatum suffered typically takes around 9-12 months of rehabilitation. The 6x All-Star uploaded a rare video on his YouTube, not only showcasing his recovery but also a positive message for the fans. In the video, the 27-year-old forward is seen running up and down the court and even shooting some buckets just 19 weeks after tearing his Achilles tendon. In the video, he was also in the gym deadlifting weights, proving he is an ‘Anomaly’.

As stated before, not everyone takes the workout videos as proof of recovery. “Even his media circuit appearance, like going on first take, doing this media, and talking about his recovery? I have seen some of the workout videos, and those are always the things, and it’s a bit different during when a guy is rehabbing. I’m always going to take workout videos with a grain of salt.” On Locked on NBA, Danny Cunningham explained why he had his doubts. He compared the situation with Ben Simmons and his recovery.

Let’s add context here that the former 76ers star has suffered a back injury and needed surgery three times. So, Jayson Tatum is not in the same boat as Simmons. But as Cunningham implied, game fitness is completely different than working out alone. “I’m like, ‘Okay, let’s let’s actually like see you do it in an NBA setting as opposed to doing it at Lifetime Fitness because you’re an NBA player. You should be able to do that at Lifetime Fitness, but doing it in a game is a very different story.’ It’s a little bit different with a guy coming back from injury, but I also think that he is trending in the right direction.”