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Jayson Tatum Makes Kevin Durant Decision During Achilles Injury Recovery

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | Last updated May 16, 2025 9:13 PM ET

The Boston Celtics are alive, at least through Friday night, in the NBA Playoffs.

They trail the New York Knicks 3-2 in their second-round series and are in the Big Apple while looking to avoid elimination on Friday.

They're dealing with a massive hiccup, though, as Jayson Tatum suffered a devastating season-ending Achilles injury in Game 4, which will see him miss time for roughly a year as he makes his recovery.

Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant suffered a similar injury over half a decade ago, and he's since returned to an elite level of play -- something that hadn't been seen prior.

For Tatum, there is comfort knowing a high-level star recently made a recovery from an injury that used to be considered career-ending.

Durant can provide the framework for Tatum to be able to make a similar recovery, given that the Celtics superstar is in the prime years of his career.

The Suns' superstar, then with the Golden State Warriors, suffered his Achilles injury at 30 years old.

After some time in New York, recovering from his surgery, reports suggest Tatum will consult Durant on his recovery, as Shams Charania said on ESPN on Friday.

"I'm told that the expectation around [Jayson] Tatum is that he will consult with Kevin Durant about that rehab that [KD] had several years ago and that's gonna be used as a template," Charania reported.

"I'm told that the expectation around [Jayson] Tatum is that he will consult with Kevin Durant about that rehab that [KD] had several years ago and that's gonna be used as a template."

Shams on how JT will approach his rehab from an Achilles injury.pic.twitter.com/Izc4L2QY7T
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 16, 2025

For Durant, this is an opportunity to use his experience to help a superstar in his prime years. The future first-ballot Hall of Fame player has already accomplished plenty in his illustrious career, and guiding Tatum through his recovery could certainly be added to that list.

The Suns' superstar might be dealing with some offseason controversy, though, as he might be traded from Phoenix after some trade deadline issues arose, following another disappointing season result.

Still, Durant and Tatum might be connecting soon, regardless, working through an Achilles rupture.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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