Celtics Get New Jayson Tatum Injury Update Before All-Star Break

Six-time All-Star Jayson Tatum reportedly “looked great” Monday in his first full five-on-five scrimmage with Boston Celtics teammates, two-way players and G League players, marking a major step in his return from an Achilles injury.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Tatum “participated fully” in his first scrimmage in nearly a year and, thankfully, did not suffer any setbacks.

“Everyone I spoke to with knowledge of Monday’s practice said Tatum looked great,” Charania told “NBA Today” on Tuesday.

“He’s been ramping up… He has been operating as a player who has a defined [goal] of debuting this season.”

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Jayson Tatum Felt ‘Good’

However, Charania cautioned that Tatum had “several boxes” to check before the Celtics medical staff give him a clean bill of health.

“At the end of all this, there’s going to be about a dozen people gathering in a room and deciding and determining whether Jayson Tatum is a hundred percent cleared medically and one percent cleared on a mental level,” added Charania.

Tatum himself said he was “feeling good” after the scrimmage.

“Today is 39 weeks, so it’s been a long journey,” he told the media. “And it’s just the progression of rehab. It was the next step. It doesn’t mean that I’m coming back or I’m not; it’s just the next step. We’re just following the plan.

“And it’s just the progression of rehab, [this was] the next step. Doesn’t mean that I’m coming back or I’m not. We’re just following the plan. It was just another step.”

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Jayson Tatum Return Prediction

Former three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams believes that Tatum could return to the court to represent the Celtics within the next four weeks. The retired star made that prediction based on the news of Tatum starting five-on-five sessions.

“If he’s about to play five-on-five, that tells me we’re four weeks out,” Williams told FanDuel TV’s “Run it Back” on Monday.

For what it’s worth, Celtics front-office boss Brad Stevens has reiterated several times that the franchise won’t apply undue pressure on Tatum and will leave the decision to return entirely up to him.

“He’s hit a lot of the thresholds, he’s doing more and more and will continue to do more and more,” Stevens said last Friday. “There’s no pressure from us. But there’s also not going to be any of us saying, ‘Well, why don’t you just take another week?’ It’s going to be: When he’s ready, he’s ready.”

Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan