Celtics’ Jayson Tatum progressing well, but won’t return until ‘fully ready’

Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics is assisted off court after being injured during Game Four of the Eastern Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on May 12, 2025. (Getty Images via AFP)
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Updated 26 June 2025
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Celtics’ Jayson Tatum progressing well, but won’t return until ‘fully ready’

  • Boston president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said the All-Star is progressing well following surgery last month

When Jayson Tatum ruptured his right Achilles tendon in the Celtics’ conference semifinals loss the the New York Knicks, everything about Boston’s immediate future changed.

But what won’t change is the Celtics’ front office’s prudence in making sure he has the space and time to make a full recovery.

Boston president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said the All-Star is progressing well following surgery last month. But asked about whether the team had put a potential timeline on Tatum’s return, Stevens was definitive that there would be no rushing the star’s rehabilitation.

“We don’t and we won’t,” Stevens said Wednesday night following the first round of the NBA draft. “We won’t put a projected timeline on him for a long, long time. ... It’s baby steps right now. He’s actually progressed great, but I don’t know what that means in regard to projected timelines. But that will be in consultation with him ... and everybody else to make sure when he hits the court he is fully ready, and fully healthy. And that will be the priority.”

Tatum is expected to miss most if not all of next season. It has already had implications for next season, with the team opting to trade Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday – both key contributors from the 2024 title team – in an effort to get the team’s salary under the luxury tax second penalty apron.

But Stevens said All-Star Jaylen Brown has already been back to the Celtics’ training facility since he had minimally invasive surgery to clean up his right knee. Brown is doing some light ball handling and work around the rim, Stevens said.

“We said be ready for training camp and I think he’ll probably be going full well ahead of that,” Stevens said.

While Stevens said league rules wouldn’t allow him to address the pending trades of Porzingis or Holiday, he said anything they do this offseason is with an eye toward regaining flexibility after multiple seasons with a high payroll.

“As far as whatever moves that those are a apart of, they’re all separate and hard and things that you’re going to have to do your best to make sure you put yourself in the right positions,” Stevens said. “We knew this was coming. This isn’t a huge surprise. ... The biggest thing for us is making sure that we balance that, maximizing what we can with regard to what we bring back so we can continue to build and grow.”


Substitute Kane scores hat-trick in Bayern’s 5-0 demolition of hosts  Stuttgart

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Substitute Kane scores hat-trick in Bayern’s 5-0 demolition of hosts  Stuttgart

  • The Bavarians were a goal up but struggling against the aggressive hosts until the introduction of Kane
  • Bayern were lucky to go into the break with a one-goal lead thanks to Konrad Laimer

STUTTGART: Bundesliga top scorer Harry Kane scored a hat-trick after coming on as second-half substitute to guide Bayern Munich to a 5-0 victory over hosts VfB Stuttgart on Saturday.
The Bavarians, who have opened up an 11-point lead at the top, were a goal up but struggling against the aggressive hosts until the introduction of Kane on the hour mark. Stuttgart were also left with 10 men for the last 10 minutes following the dismissal of Lorenz Assignon.
Bayern, who host Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Tuesday, were lucky to go into the break with a one-goal lead thanks to Konrad Laimer’s 11th minute strike.
Stuttgart first saw Nikolas Nartey’s header that went in ruled narrowly offside and Chema also came agonizingly close to scoring in stoppage time.
Deniz Undav, who has scored six of Stuttgart’s last eight goals as he battles to reclaim his Germany spot ahead of next year’s World Cup, came even closer with a powerful shot in the 59th that Bayern keeper Jonas Urbig tipped over the bar.
The introduction of Kane , however, tipped the balance in the visitors’ favor and the England captain opened his account with a crisp, low drive in the 66th.
Stuttgart keeper Alexander Nuebel then let Bayern substitute Josip Stanisic’ weak shot slip through his hands to make it 3-0 and to make matters worse, Bayern earned an 80th minute penalty following a handball and red card for Assignon, and Kane easily converted it.
The forward completed his hat-trick from a Michael Olize cutback in the 88th to take his league tally to 17 goals and lift the Bundesliga leaders to 37 points, 11 ahead of second-placed RB Leipzig, in action against Eintracht Frankfurt later.