Apr 29, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) reacts after a three-point basket by Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) (not pictured) against the Orlando Magic in the third quarter during game five of the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images

'Toughest Six Weeks of My Life' – Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum Gets 100% Honest on Achilles Rehab

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Jordan Samar | Last updated Aug 22, 2025 8:12 AM ET

Jayson Tatum is doing everything in his power to return to full strength for the Boston Celtics. The six-time NBA All-Star is not expected to be on the court this upcoming season due to an Achilles injury he sustained a few months ago.

The Boston Celtics star recently broke his silence about the brutal injury in an exclusive interview with SB Nation’s Noa Dalzell.

“Rehab is tedious, man — six days a week. It’s starting to get a little bit better now, I’m out of the boot now,” Tatum said. “Better days ahead, but just trying to take it one day at a time.”

“You got to be resilient. (Those) first six weeks of this was probably the toughest six weeks of any point in my life. Just had to accept it and realize it happened, and now I gotta do everything in my power to get back to who I was, and get back to playing,” he added.

Boston Celtics legend reveals concern level on Jayson Tatum’s injury

Former Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce believes that Jayson Tatum can return to his old self before his Achilles injury, citing examples from Paul George and Kevin Durant, who also had to deal with something similar earlier in their NBA careers.

Jan 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) walks off the court after his team lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

“Usually, an Achilles injury will take a whole year to get back to normal. But then, after a whole year, you start getting back,” Pierce said on Games With Names with Julian Edelman.

“I mean, we got cases of it. Paul George, KD, they looked good after they came back from an Achilles. So I’m not worried about him (Tatum) getting back to where he was before he got hurt,” he added.