The Boston Celtics are expected to take a gap year following their franchise star Jayson Tatum‘s Achilles injury in the last NBA playoffs.
Tatum is expected to be out 8 to 12 months, effectively rendering him unavailable for next season. Kevin Durant took 18 months to recover from the same injury he sustained during the 2019 NBA Finals before playing again.
However, the Celtics star is showing signs of quicker progress than Durant had in his injury recovery.
A video circulated on social media showing Tatum out of his walking boot less than three months after he sustained the devastating injury in May against the New York Knicks.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne shed more light on how Tatum has achieved this success in his recovery so quickly.
“There is a good update on Jayson Tatum – he’s walking again! He’s out of the boot and he’s walking again,” Shelburne said on “NBA Today” on July 25. “He said he’s been doing six days a week in rehab, and I think he’s ahead of schedule coming back from that Achilles.”
While Tatum appears to be ahead of schedule, the Celtics have been busy restructuring the team and their salary books with massive salaries owed to Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Tatum signed a record-setting five-year, $314 million extension last summer. It is the richest NBA contract in history that topped Brown’s five-year, $304 million contract the previous year.
With the Celtics staring at a staggering $500 million payroll and luxury taxes, they shed salaries this offseason, tearing down their championship roster.
They have traded away veterans Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis and let Luke Kornet walk in free agency, while Al Horford is expected to play elsewhere.
The Celtics got under the second apron after waiving G League MVP JD Davison.
Jaylen Brown Relishes A1 Star Opportunity
With Tatum out, Brown will become the Celtics’ main option next season.
According to Shelburne, Brown welcomes the opportunity.
“I think Jaylen Brown relishes moments like this,” Shelburne said. “He tried to play through that injury all throughout the playoffs, and I think he’ll relish being the ‘1A’ here.”
Brown was the series MVP of both the Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals when the Celtics won the championship in 2024. Last season, he averaged 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals. Those numbers are expected to go up without Tatum.
Brown was already back in the gym after undergoing an arthroscopic surgery on his right knee last month.
Ex-Celtic Arrested for ‘Fraud’
Former Celtics forward Marcus Morris Sr. was arrested in Florida and charged with a felony fraud for writing a check with insufficient funds, according to sherrif.org.
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