NBA Notes: Celtics, Jayson Tatum, Nuggets, Jonas Valanciunas, Grizzlies

Celtics

Jayson Tatum isn’t closing the door on a return this season. The Celtics star told DJ Siddiqi of PokerStrategy.com he’s staying patient while rehabbing his torn right Achilles — but he’s optimistic.

“Nobody’s pressuring me,” Tatum said. “The team, the doctor, the organization, everybody is just like, ‘We want you to be 100% before you come back.’”

Tatum added that recovery isn’t about hitting a calendar date but meeting strength benchmarks.

“Time is obviously important, but you have to hit certain benchmarks,” he said. “The most important thing is all these tests of your strength — the strength in your calf, the strength in your leg. Getting into the same strength as your left calf or even stronger.”

Tatum, 27, made it clear that he feels confident in the procedure and progress so far.

“The surgery that I got, the things that we’ve been doing, I feel very, very confident in that surgical site. We won’t have that problem again.”

Nuggets

Nuggets head coach David Adelman is experimenting early, and clearly, he’s not afraid to get weird.

During the preseason, he’s tried pairing Nikola Jokic with Jonas Valanciunas in a twin-tower lineup. It’s only been for brief stretches, but Adelman indicated the idea is to see what works.

“I thought it was hilarious to watch it on tape,” he said, via Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette. “They’ve scripted together, but they haven’t played together. But it’s kind of like, rip the Band-Aid off and just see what happens.”

Adelman said if the two end up sharing the court more often, the team will build a play package around them.

“Val can crash the glass, but he’s also skilled,” he said. “So I have to find a way to get those guys comfortable in space so they’re not right on top of each other.”

Grizzlies

The Grizzlies made another roster tweak before their preseason finale, signing Nate Hinton and waiving Charlie Brown Jr.

Hinton, 26, last appeared in the NBA in 2024 with Houston and has since been playing in the G League, where he averaged 12 points and 8.8 rebounds for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and Memphis Hustle.

The 6-foot-5 wing is likely headed back to the Hustle, where he’d be eligible for an $85,300 Exhibit 10 bonus if he sticks for 60 days. Brown, who signed earlier this week, is expected to follow the same path.