NBA Notebook: How soon can Jayson Tatum return from an Achilles tear?

Jayson Tatum's return looms.

The Celtics star reached the seven-month mark in his recovery from an Achilles tear last week and continues to ramp-up his activity in open practice sessions and social media posts. Recent ones show him moving explosively in one-on-one workouts, shooting on the move and he's dunked. None of that's abnormal or indicative of an immediate return, according to experts and those who have experienced tears. Rather, the reminders of modern Achilles recoveries sit right in front of Boston, with Miami's Dru Smith traveling to Boston on Friday after returning from his rupture in nine months. Indiana's Isaiah Jackson played 10 months following his surgery. If Tatum returns along those timelines, he'll be back in Boston's lineup by April. 

That's not without risk, Dr. Erek Latzka of Boston Sports and Biologics told The Garden Report last week. Each additional month that a player in recovery waits up to roughly the one-year anniversary of surgery steadily reduces the chance of a re-rupture. The problem, as Tatum pushes toward a return, while vowing to only play once he's 100%, is that the 11-month anniversary of his Game 4 injury in Madison Square Garden falls on the final day of the Celtics' regular season. Tatum could return that late, but if playoff intensity and minutes loom, it could set up a grueling decision for both Tatum and the team. Joe Mazzulla said earlier this month Tatum will decide when he returns, alongside consultation with experts involved. 

So what's 100% mean? 

"I think that means ... they're measuring that strength in that tendon. They're having him jump on forced plates where they can measure the peak force of load going through his foot and his leg as he's jumping, and how long he's in the air essentially off of that leg versus the other leg, and I'm sure that they know what that was before. They test these players, they have all the technology to track these things, so they're gonna wait until that leg is as good as his other leg from a physical standpoint, and then even when it is, the other thing to be 100% is the mental aspect and forgetting about the Achilles, when you can't remember which leg or which ankle had the surgery and you're not thinking about it when you're playing. That's the other probably 100% and that'll be the longest. For most people, that's about a year." 

December arrived, setting up critical weeks in whether or not Tatum will or won't play during the 2025-26 season. The Boston Globe reported that Tatum still needs to meet several milestones for the team to even begin discussions about a return this year, and though the Celtics never ruled him out, they expressed caution in outlining any timeline. His recovery from the injury is likely at or near finished, aside from some collagen strengthening, and the 4-6 month marks where most re-injuries occur, passed earlier this fall. That puts Tatum in position to ramp-up toward game readiness imminently. 

Latza mentioned that Tatum's doctor Martin O'Malley performs SpeedBridge Achilles repair procedures, which have allowed players, particularly in football, to return faster than they typically would following a traditional surgery. The balance comes with the re-injury risk, which will inevitably become central to any conversation about a return. If he does play this season, it'll come with minutes limitations for roughly one month, Latza believed, and experts typically forecast basketball players needing more than one year to reach full comfort and resemble themselves again. 

"You gotta ramp him up slowly, even in the games. We can't go back to 48 minutes right away," Latzka said. "And so just ramping up his time on the court, I think, will be important and seeing how he responds, and he might not play every game, he'll play a game here and maybe take a couple off and see how he recovers. That'll be a decision that he, the doctors and Mazzulla make altogether, but I would expect some sort of load management and slow ramp-up when he comes back." 

The Trail Blazers ruled Damian Lillard, who tore his Achilles roughly one month before Tatum, out for the year, as the Pacers did with Tyrese Haliburton, who fell one month after Tatum. While Smith and Jackson's speedy returns, healthiness and effectiveness with Miami and Indiana this season spell some hope for Tatum, Jackson, considering himself 80-90% only eight months following his procedure, both players went through full training camps and preseasons before their comebacks. The Celtics will need to find opportunities to get him live action where they don't often practice in-season, though Payton Pritchard doesn't expect any challenge reintegrating Tatum to the rotation on the basketball side.

While Tatum hasn't publicly advanced to contact or work beyond one-on-ones with controlled motions, Latzka said the team's trainers can already simulate contact and physicality. Tatum will need to become comfortable making motions like the step back that originally caused the injury, landing after dunks and other jumps, along with running backwards. For all the impressiveness of Tatum's activity as he nears a return, he hasn't shown off many of those motions in full. 

Yet Latza sees him on track to recover and play this year. Admittedly, as a Celtics fan, he hopes that Tatum and the team wait. A full offseason would put him back on the floor for a regular season nearly 18 months after his repair -- mirroring his friend and model for an Achilles recovery in Kevin Durant. 

"There probably is some benefit to just coming back next season, really getting as far away from that re-rupture risk as possible,” Latzka said. “Most players are not the same after Achilles ruptures. J.K. Dobbins has looked pretty good in the NFL, but not the same. Durant probably had the least drop-off of any player we’ve ever seen and he took the longer recovery. So I think ... it would probably be beneficial to take more time.”

Here's what else happened around the NBA this week...

Atlanta (15-12): Announced that Kristaps Porziņģis will miss the next two weeks and undergo further evaluation for an illness that forced him to miss seven of the Hawks' last nine games. ESPN reported that he received a postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) diagnosis with the Celtics last season, which doctors found a way to manage over the summer, when Porziņģis competed successfully with the Latvian national team. Porziņģis has only played 13 of the Hawks' 26 games since arriving from the Celtics in an offseason trade. Marc Stein noted that any significant trade activity done by Atlanta will inevitably included Porziņģis' $30.7 million expiring contract. Trae Young, who's missed the last 21 games with an MCL sprain, is expected to return to practice this week. The Hawks went 13-9 without Young, who's reportedly in line to return around Christmas. Jalen Johnson joined Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson as the only players under age 24 to record four straight triple-doubles. 

Boston (15-11)/Milwaukee (11-16): Lost to the Bucks in Milwaukee, their sixth loss over their last eight trips to the city, after leading by 14 points in the second quarter. The Celtics opened the second half by missing 16 straight three-pointers, falling below 30% in a game for the first time since Nov. 3. They also allowed 31 points to Kyle Kuzma, 27 to Bobby Portis and an 18-points triple-double to Kevin Porter Jr., Portis and Porter chirping with Jaylen Brown throughout the game. The Bucks had lost seven of eight games without Giannis Antetokounmpo this season prior, then lost by 45 points to the Nets on Sunday in Brooklyn. Milwaukee, according to various reports, hasn't fielded Antetokounmpo offers since news broke about ongoing conversations regarding his future with the team. 

Joe Mazzulla said it just wasn't Boston's night after, suffering their worst offensive quarter this season with 13 points in the third. Their 101 points in the loss tied their third-lowest total in a game. Brown reached 30 points for the seventh time over his last eight games, while Jordan Walsh (20 pts) reached double-figures for the fourth time over his last six. Amari Williams suffered a hairline fracture in his right hand while playing for the Maine Celtics. He missed Thursday's trip to Milwaukee before returning to Maine's lineup on Sunday. Ron Harper Jr. (knee) missed both games with a sprain, but appeared to practice on Monday. The Celtics lost a second straight game to the Pistons, which Brown took the blame for after missing seven free throws. 

Charlotte (8-18)/Cleveland (15-12): A new high for Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel (18.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.5 APG, 40.4% 3PT) coincided with a new low for the Cavs, who remain in play-in territory as the eight seed in the east through a slow start. Charlotte won in overtime, led by Knueppel's 29 points, four rebounds, and three assists, his second straight game with at least 29 points and eighth straight in double-figures. Donovan Mitchell struggled, shooting 6-for-24 from the field and 1-for-11 from three after needing almost all of his 48 points (24 in 4Q) to down the Wizards in Washington. Evan Mobley (calf) will miss 2-4 weeks with a calf sprain, the injury scaring and overtaking the NBA world at the moment, as profiled in a Yahoo article. Mitchell expressed continued frustration after Cleveland's sixth loss over their last 10 games. 

Dallas (10-17): The Hawks, Pistons and Raptors are expected to become Anthony Davis suitors leading up to the February trade deadline if the Mavericks consider moving him. Dallas plans to explore Davis, D'Angelo Russell, Klay Thompson and Daniel Gafford's trade values in the coming weeks, while Davis' agent Rich Paul has asked for clarity over whether the team plans to extend Davis beyond his current two-years, $121.3 million remaining, including a second year player option. Davis is eligible for a four-year, $275 million extension beginning on Aug. 6. The Mavs are currently led by a combination of Michael Finley, Matt Riccardi, Jason Kidd and Mark Cuban since Nico Harrison's firing as head of basketball operations. Dereck Lively II will miss the rest of the 2025-26 season after undergoing right foot surgery to address ongoing discomfort. He dealt with a right ankle stress fracture and right foot bone spurs he underwent surgery in July for over the past year. Cooper Flagg remains a slight favorite over Kon Knueppel, scoring a career-high 42 points on 13-for-27 shooting in an overtime loss to the Jazz on Monday. 

Detroit (21-5): Cade Cunningham avenged his missed game-tying tree throw in Boston that capped the last Celtics-Pistons game by scoring 32 points with four rebounds and 10 assists on 11-for-21 shooting. Javonte Green recorded two steals in crunch time against his former team alongside a breakout dunk and three-pointer that helped secure a 112-105 win at Boston, Detroit's fourth straight victory. JB Bickerstaff revealed before the game a genius move by Cunningham in the previous matchup where he alerted the officials that he would attempt to draw a shooting foul before he drew one while the Celtics tried to intentionally foul. Cunningham is now averaging 27.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 9.2 APG on 45.7% shooting, with an outside MVP chance. Jaylen Brown and Isaiah Stewart drew double technicals after a spat while fighting for a rebound. Green, the former Celtic, weighed in on Jayson Tatum's recovery before the game. 

Golden State (13-14): Continue to squander strong Steph Curry showings, including 48 points in a loss against Portland, and 39 in their Minnesota defeat. Curry is averaging 29.6 PPG while shooting 41.2% from three, and only Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Dončić have flashed better on-off productivity this season than Curry (+5.9 EPM). Jimmy Butler has only managed 19.1 PPG into his second season with the Warriors, Jonathan Kuminga logged a third straight DNP-CD in Portland and Al Horford (sciatica) missed his eighth game over Golden State's last nine. There's some hope that this veteran group could peak at the right time, but they currently sit in the playoffs by 2.5 games. 

Houston (16-7)/Denver (19-6): Ime Udoka unloaded on the officials during his post game press conference on Monday after the Nuggets defeated the Rockets in overtime, calling it the worst officiated game he'd seen in a long time. An away from the play foul call on Amen Thompson allowed Denver to tie the game with two seconds left and force overtime, where the Nuggets held on by stopping Alperen Şengün's last-second three. Şengün posted his first triple-double of the season with 33 points, while Jokić fouled out with 39 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. The game included 59 free throw attempts. Peyton Watson (right trunk contusion) left in the first quarter and did not return. 

"[Officials Natalie Sago and Jamahl Ralls] have no business being out there," Udoka said. "And [crew chief Zach Zarba] was acting starstruck. You're seeing all kind of inconsistent calls, and I'm sure we should've gotten a few more techs."

Clippers (6-20): Fell just 1.5 games above last place in the Western Conference with a horrifying loss to the Grizzlies, who were led by Cam Spencer's 27 points. Kawhi Leonard and James Harden left following the 121-103 defeat without speaking to the media. The loss followed a cancelled practice by Ty Lue that turned into a film session over several players' inability to participate. Lue would not elaborate on which players those were. LA fell into a tie with the Pacers and Kings for the third-worst record in the league, and the Oklahoma City Thunder own the Clippers' unprotected first-round pick from the Paul George trade. If the season ended today, Oklahoma City would have a 12.4% chance at the No. 1 overall pick. ESPN dove into the Chris Paul saga that highlighted the Clippers' season of turmoil.

"There really wasn't one thing," said one source close to the situation. "This isn't like JR Smith throwing the soup in Cleveland."

Lakers (18-7)/Phoenix (14-12): Dillon Brooks capped a 20-point Suns comeback over the Lakers with a go-ahead three and bump on LeBron James in rapid succession that earned him an ejection. James hit game-winning free throws the other way and blocked Grayson Allen to secure a win in a thriller, long-time adversaries James and Brooks spatting throughout the game, escalating to the point where James appeared to make contact with an official in frustration, earning his first technical. Brooks poked at James during the 2023 Grizzlies-Lakers first-round series that LA stole, with Brooks' antics spelling the end of his time in Memphis. He ultimately revived his career in Houston, and has thrived in Phoenix after going to the Suns in the Kevin Durant trade. 

Memphis (12-14): Ja Morant tweaked his left ankle during a late collision with Ivica Zubac during the Grizzlies' win over the Clippers on Monday. He'll receive further evaluation. Earlier last week, Zach Edey suffered a stress reaction in his left ankle that he underwent surgery on during the offseason. Edey will miss at least four weeks. The Grizzlies strung together seven wins over their last 10 games despite Edey going down and Morant missing 10 games before returning for their last two. Jaylen Wells (17.2 PPG) and Cam Spencer (16.9 PPG) led Memphis in scoring over that stretch. 

Miami (14-12): Visit Brooklyn on Thursday and Boston on Friday, having lost five straight games, including four where they scored fewer than 110 points. The Heat utilized a faster pace to power a strong offensive start to the year, scoring 140 points against the Clippers to begin December. Norman Powell (42.4% FG), Tyler Herro (15.4% 3PT) and Andrew Wiggins (42.2% FG) struggled shooting over that stretch. The Heat scratched Herro before Monday's loss to the Raptors with a right big toe contusion that an MRI revealed last week. He had missed two games before returning for the team's NBA Cup loss against the Magic, scoring 20 points on 7-for-17 shooting. Dwyane Wade revealed that he and Allen Iverson nearly teamed up in 2006 in Miami. Wade rejected the idea because the hypothetical trade would have sent Udonis Haslem to the 76ers. 

New York (18-7)/San Antonio (18-7): The Knicks and Spurs will meet in the NBA Cup Final on Tuesday after New York rolled through Orlando in the semifinal behind Jalen Brunson's 40 points and eight assists alongside Karl-Anthony Towns' 29. San Antonio beat the Thunder in more dramatic fashion, bringing Victor Wembanyama off the bench for 22 points in 21 minutes in his return from a calf injury. Wembanyama, who delivered the critical baskets in the win that ended Oklahoma City's 16-game win streak, quipped about ethical hoops and whether you can win MVP and Sixth Man of the Year in the same season following his first career game off the bench. Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle and De'Aaron Fox also delivered 20-point performances after holding the line by winning 9-of-12 without Wembanyama. The Cup Final game does not count toward the regular season standings. 

Orlando (15-11): Jalen Suggs left the Magic's NBA Cup loss to the Knicks with a left hip injury that reportedly forced him to leave the arena in a wheelchair. He scored 25 points in the first half before asking out of the game in the third quarter in obvious discomfort. Suggs received further evaluation for a hip contusion over the weekend, and could miss time alongside Franz Wagner (ankle), who's expected to miss 2-4 weeks.