Jayson Tatum described his return to the court Friday night as a step in his recovery from a torn right Achilles. It was his first NBA game in 298 days. “I still got a long way to go,” said Tatum, who scored 15 points in 27 minutes in a 120-100 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. “But this was a really good step.”
A Clunky Start Gives Way to Gratitude
Tatum made his season debut in Boston’s starting lineup more than 10 months after having surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon. The usual rehabilitation period for such an injury is nine to 12 months. His first game, however, got off to a clunky start.
Tatum missed a 16-foot pull-up jumper on Boston’s second possession. In the second quarter, he missed a dunk attempt. He started 0-for-6 from the field and said he felt anxious early in the game.
“It’s been a long time coming just to get to this point,” he said. “Nights and days I dreamed about this moment and anticipation, the crowd. It’s been 42½ weeks since I played in an NBA game, so just trying to get caught up on the speed and everything. I just kind of felt like I was a step off or moving too fast. But the game started to slow down as I just kind of relaxed a little bit.”
Tatum scored on a putback dunk with 1:16 remaining in the second period, a bucket that he said helped him relax. Then he found his groove. He knocked down six of his next 10 shots as the crowd roared every time he scored.
He added 12 rebounds and seven assists on a night he said was normal and surreal. “I really was just kind of grateful,” Tatum said. “I had a real sense of gratitude of just being back on the floor, playing basketball. It just kind of brought me back to everything I’ve been through in the last 10 months. And the fact that I was able to even be out there today was a really big win for me.”
Impactful Minutes in Celtics’ Victory
Tatum’s minutes were impactful. The Celtics outscored the Mavericks by 20 points when he was on the court Friday. As he got more comfortable in the second half, Boston ran away with the win, outscoring Dallas 62-47 after halftime.
“I thought it was a great atmosphere,” Celtics star Jaylen Brown said. “Obviously, it was great having JT back. I commend him being able to put himself on the line a little bit to come back and be a part of something bigger. I think that is his mentality. I appreciate that. I know the organization appreciates that because he didn’t have to and no one put pressure on him, but he wanted to be out there.”
Tatum said there is a plan to manage his playing time, but he didn’t give details or indicate whether he would be available Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Friday night marked Tatum’s first game since Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in May, when he tore his right Achilles against the New York Knicks.
“I don’t think any athlete thinks that they’re ever going to get hurt, at least I did not,” Tatum said. “It never crossed my mind. I felt like