Kevin Durant has been in Jayson Tatum's shoes before - well, not literally, but he knows what it's like to come back from a major injury. When the Celtics forward ruptured his Achilles tendon during the 2019 NBA Finals, Durant himself missed over 18 months of action while rehabbing.
However, after missing that season, Durant returned with no issues, averaging nearly 37 minutes per game and scoring 27.8 points while also grabbing six rebounds on average since he last played due to an injury in the 2020-21 season.
Durant now finds himself having a hard time comparing his recovery timeline to Tatum's, but when asked about it by MassLive’s Brian Robb, Durant said that Tatum is ahead of schedule. “I wouldn’t say I felt that confident to dunk the ball,” he stated.
Tatum has shown remarkable speed and agility in his rehab despite undergoing an Achilles surgery and having missed more than 18 months of action like Durant did when he ruptured his own Achilles tendon back then.
Durant acknowledges that medicine has advanced greatly since then, stating that Tatum is just "killing it" during the rehabilitation process.
The NBA is expected to miss him - who wouldn’t want to see Tatum on the court? The four-time NBA All-Star told MassLive's Brian Robb that he believes in Tatum’s timeline for a potential return later this season.
While Durant was asked if he thought it would be feasible for Tatum to return at some point during the 2025-26 season, and if so, why. "I think it's feasible," he said.
Durant also added that it is good to keep his options open to play as much as possible and believes that Tatum will try to get back on the court regardless of what his team’s record is.
This could be a positive sign for both Tatum and the Celtics. The 24-year-old has been doing incredibly well in rehab so far, according to Durant.
However, after missing that season, Durant returned with no issues, averaging nearly 37 minutes per game and scoring 27.8 points while also grabbing six rebounds on average since he last played due to an injury in the 2020-21 season.
Durant now finds himself having a hard time comparing his recovery timeline to Tatum's, but when asked about it by MassLive’s Brian Robb, Durant said that Tatum is ahead of schedule. “I wouldn’t say I felt that confident to dunk the ball,” he stated.
Tatum has shown remarkable speed and agility in his rehab despite undergoing an Achilles surgery and having missed more than 18 months of action like Durant did when he ruptured his own Achilles tendon back then.
Durant acknowledges that medicine has advanced greatly since then, stating that Tatum is just "killing it" during the rehabilitation process.
The NBA is expected to miss him - who wouldn’t want to see Tatum on the court? The four-time NBA All-Star told MassLive's Brian Robb that he believes in Tatum’s timeline for a potential return later this season.
While Durant was asked if he thought it would be feasible for Tatum to return at some point during the 2025-26 season, and if so, why. "I think it's feasible," he said.
Durant also added that it is good to keep his options open to play as much as possible and believes that Tatum will try to get back on the court regardless of what his team’s record is.
This could be a positive sign for both Tatum and the Celtics. The 24-year-old has been doing incredibly well in rehab so far, according to Durant.
he's not even mad that tatum is ahead of schedule 
because let's be real, medicine has come a long way since 2019! and from what i've seen, tatum's rehab game is on point 
if he can stay healthy, i'm all for it - the nba needs more players like him who are just pure talent 
. but for real though, it's dope to see Tatum moving so fast thru rehab, the doc's got skills 
. KD's just salty 'cause he knows what it's like to take a huge hit and can't relate 2 Tatum's speed. we'll see how it plays out tho 
he's like super motivated in rehab 
but at the same time, i gotta say as a fan of kevin durant, it's kinda crazy to think about how much medicine has improved since his achilles injury 
like, those 18 months of not playing was a huge bummer for him, but now he's back to almost full strength 
but it's also kinda weird hearing durant say that tatum's ahead of schedule 
just kidding, but for real though, the celtics are gonna miss him and hopefully he gets back on the court soon 
. I'm not sure what medicine has done or if it's just Tatum's dedication, but he's got this 
!
, but I'm also thinkin', if he can stay healthy, he'll be a beast on the court again. The NBA's gonna miss him for sho 
.
. I'm sure the Celtics will do everything they can to help him get back on the court as soon as possible 
! it's crazy how far medicine has come since Kevin Durant went through a similar injury back in 2019 
. Durant thinks tatum is killing it 
. let's keep our fingers crossed that tatum can make a smooth return to action soon 
), I can only imagine how tough this must be for Tatum. But what really impresses me is how quickly he's progressing - that surgery and all 
️!
. Either way, I'm hyped for Tatum to get back on the court and show us what he's made of 
️!
i mean who wouldn't want to see Tatum on the court again? he's gonna be like a new player when he gets back 
️.
... I guess progress is good though, right? 
... but Durant seems super optimistic about Tatum's chances, which is cool 
... gotta keep those options open for Tatum, even if the team's not doing great 
anyway, idk about this... maybe tatum's a miracle worker or smthn 
. And I feel him, KD knew what it was like to come back from a major injury, so he knows how hard it is 
. But the fact that KD is acknowledging how fast Tatum is progressing and saying he's "killing it" in rehab is really encouraging 
. Fingers crossed that we get to see him back on the court soon! 
he's saying jayson tatum is ahead of schedule in his rehab process lol like who wouldn't wanna see tatum back on the court? 
I think its also good that durant is keeping his options open to play as much as possible, it just shows how positive and supportive he is of teammates who are trying to come back from major injuries