Boston Celtics fans got an update on Jayson Tatum’s rehab from a torn achilles earlier this week.
Per Heavy’s Steve Bulpett, Tatum was seen standing with Celtics assistant coach Amile Jefferson at Chris Paul’s CP3 Elite camp in Las Vegas earlier this week.
According to Bulpett, a scout at the event provided an update on Tatum’s status, which could provide Celtics’ fans with some optimism.
“He was moving really well,” Bulpett was told. “There might have been a slight limp or something, but the surprising thing to me is that he didn’t have a boot for any of it.
“I’m no doctor, but I’ve seen guys coming back from Achilles’ tears, and he looked way ahead. I was kind of shocked to see how well he was moving.”
Tatum suffered the injury during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks. The Celtics would go on to lose the series in six games. While no official timetable has been given for his return, the expectation is that he will miss most of, if not all of next season.
Tatum will be missed dearly for the Celtics. Last season, he averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game and was named to his sixth-career All-Star game, and fifth-career All-NBA team.
The Celtics will now try to navigate next season without their superstar for most of it. Given this recent update, many Celtics fans will certainly feel better about the possibility of Tatum returning sooner than anticipated.