It’s been years since Marcus Smart last wore a Boston Celtics jersey on an NBA court. However, that doesn’t mean the fan-favorite guard isn’t in touch with his former teammates.
So, it should come as no surprise that Smart has reached out to Jayson Tatum. The All-NBA forward is currently recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. When speaking with Josue Pavon of ClutchPoints, Smart detailed some of the conversation and his thoughts on Tatum’s recovery.
“I talked to him a little bit,” Smart said. “I’m praying for him. Obviously, I hope he gets the resources he needs. Looks like he’s doing a good job with his rehab. You never want to see anybody in this league — any of our colleagues — go down the way that he went down. I want them to be on the court. So, we can go out there and perform, and everybody can do what they have to do to feed their families.”
During his tenure with the Celtics, Smart helped Boston reach six Eastern Conference Finals and was the starting guard during the team’s run to the 2022 NBA Finals. Boston ultimately lost to the Golden State Warriors.
And, despite the former Defensive Player of the Year now suiting up for the Los Angeles Lakers, it’s clear he’s looking forward to seeing Tatum back on the court as soon as possible.
The Celtics Aren’t Rushing Tatum Back
Despite his importance to the franchise, the Celtics appear to be taking a cautious approach with Tatum. When speaking to the media during the summer, President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens, stressed that Boston would not be rushing its superstar forward back onto the court.
“We won’t put a projected timeline on him for a long, long time,” Stevens said, via ESPN.“…It’s baby steps right now. He’s actually progressed great, but I don’t know what that means in regard to projected timelines. But that will be in consultation with him … and everybody else to make sure when he hits the court he is fully ready, and fully healthy. And that will be the priority.”
Tatum could miss the entire 2025-26 season, especially if the Celtics aren’t in the mix to make noise during the postseason.
Tatum Is Confident In His Recovery
During a recent conversation with DJ Siddiqi of Poker Strategy, Tatum detailed his confidence with the work he’s putting into his rehab.
“I mean the exact number, I know the number is low,” Tatum said. “Everybody thinks it’s a time-based recovery. Time is obviously important, but you have to hit certain benchmarks. 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 continued.
“For some guys, that takes six, nine, 12 months. Everybody’s just different. But 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.”
When Tatum is cleared to return to the court, he will face another challenge. Once back in the rotation, he will need to slowly ramp up his production, as he won’t be ready to hit the ground running. It could take months for Tatum to return to an All-NBA level.
As such, Tatum’s path back to being the player he was before his injury is still a long one, but at least it sounds like he’s on the right track.
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