Jayson Tatum’s Father Issues Timetable For Celtics Star’s Return

The Boston Celtics won’t see Jayson Tatum on the court again for a long time after he ruptured his Achilles on Monday night.

Tatum may need to sit out all of next season after suffering the catastrophic injury, which potentially could have franchise-altering implications, too.

But Tatum could be back on the floor playing for the Celtics sooner than expected. Tatum’s father, Justin, told ESPN’s Marc Spears that the Celtics star will miss “eight to nine months,” which would put Tatum on track to return around mid-January.

That timeline might be a little far-fetched, as it seems everything would have to go near-perfect for Tatum’s recovery to have him come back within nine months. The Celtics didn’t provide a timetable for Tatum’s return when they revealed he underwent successful surgery Tuesday.

Kevin Durant missed the entire 2019-20 season after he ruptured his Achilles in the 2019 NBA Finals. But Tatum could channel the mentality of his idol Kobe Bryant, who at age 34 underwent surgery to repair his Achilles in April 2013 and returned eight months later, albeit a diminished version of himself.

Tatum sure is reeling from the situation he’s faced with and Spears relayed an emotional phone call he had with his father in the aftermath of the injury.

“He said that within 10 minutes (of the injury), Jayson’s mom called him, Brady, told him what had happened,” Spears said on ESPN, as transcribed by the Boston Herald’s Zack Cox. “He got off the phone, started bawling, he told me. … Jayson ended up giving him a call once he was able to. They cried on the phone together. Jayson was asking him, ‘Why me, Dad? Why me? Why does this have to happen to me?’ And he said, ‘Son, this is God’s will. You’re young. You’re going to get through this.’ And he reminded him that, ‘Isn’t Kobe your idol? Kobe got through this.’ …

“He said that the thing he’s most concerned about is his son mentally. This is the first time he’s ever had an injury like this before. He’s not worried about the physical; his son’s not even 30 yet. But it’s the mental part, and he feels like each day, he’ll get better.”

Tatum writhing in pain on the court could be one of the lasting images of his career, but he appears to be in better spirits with the Celtics going on without him.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said prior to Wednesday’s Game 5 that Tatum sent a message to the team, but didn’t give details about what Tatum said.

“He’s doing the best he can,” Mazzulla told reporters, per Cox. “If anybody can handle it, it’s him. He sent a message to the staff and the players today, so he’s doing better.”