NBA Legend Drops Stark Truth on Jayson Tatum’s Recovery

After suffering an Achilles tendon tear during the Boston Celtics‘ second-round playoff series against the New York Knicks, Jayson Tatum faces a long road to recovery.

The All-NBA forward is expected to miss the 2025-26 season. Furthermore, his path back to being an elite talent in the NBA will likely take an addition six to twelve months. As such, the Celtics are likely facing up to the reality that they will be out of championship contention for at least a year, with two being more likley.

In a recent interview with Kyle Odegard of Esports Insider, former NBA All-Star Dominique Wilkins discussed Tatum’s path back to being among the world’s top talents.

“They have everything at their disposal. As far as workout facilities and new-age medicine, workout equipment to get themselves back quicker,” Wilkins said. “But you still need to do the work. Tatum is a guy who loves the game, so there is no doubt in my mind he will put in the work he needs to put in to get back. But it’s going to take him at least a year (to feel 100%). That’s a fact.”

Wilkins has also dealt with an Achilles injury. He returned to finish fifth in MVP voting during the 1992-93 season.

Dwyane Wade Recently Sent a Message to Celtics Star

In a recent episode of his “Time Out with Dwyane Wade” podcast, the former Miami Heat star sent a message to the Celtics injured superstar.

“Jayson Tatum went down. You don’t want to see anyone go down,” Wade said. “You definitely don’t want to see the stars of our league go down… Sending obviously love to Jayson Tatum as he’s getting on his pace to get back to recovery. His story is not over, it’s continuing to be written and this is a part of it, unfortunately.”

Tatum, 27, is well-respected by his peers around the league. He has proven himself to be a fierce yet fair competitor. Without him in the rotation, the Celtics could struggle to remain competitive next season, especially as Brad Stevens must also contend with the second apron luxury tax.

Jrue Holiday Could be a Casualty of Celtics Cap Issues

Without Tatum, Boston is unlilely to be a contender in the near future. As such, Stevens will likely look to reduce the team’s payroll. Jrue Holiday could become a casualty of those cost cutting measures. However, according to Jake Fischer, Boston may need to attach an asset to any potential deal if it wants to part with the two-time champion.

“Multiple rival executives have passed along that, for all of Holiday’s unquestioned championship know-how after contributing to title teams in Milwaukee and Boston, some form of incentive (such as draft compensation) might have to be attached to Holiday’s contract by the Celtics to convince someone to absorb the $104 million remaining on the 34-year-old’s deal over the next three seasons,” Fischer wrote via “The Stein Line” newsletter.

Tatum’s injury has undoubtedly changed the calculus for the Celtics. Nevertheless, he could still bounce back and re-establish himself as a top-10 player in the world. As such, Stevens has a lot of decisions to make in the coming months.