With opening night of the NBA season less than a month away, it would be natural for some Boston Celtics fans to not be looking ahead to a season without Jayson Tatum.
It turns out, Tatum appears to be doing everything in his power to keep that from happening.
Tatum, recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon in May during the Eastern Conference semifinals, had this to say on ESPN's "First Take" on Tuesday when asked what he thought about the Celtics' outlook and how his injury will give Jaylen Brown a bigger opportunity to lead.
"First thing, I haven't said I'm not playing this season," Tatum said.
Typically, the timeline for returning from a ruptured Achilles would span most of, if not all, of a full season. The Celtics have documented Tatum's recovery, showing him in social media videos in the weight room. In August, he attended New England Patriots practice without a walking boot or brace of any sort.
"The most important thing is a full recovery. And I'm not rushing it ... at all," Tatum said on "First Take." "But also, I don't go to rehab six days a week for nothing."
Tatum said he's been in constant contact with the other NBA athletes who endured an Achilles rupture last season: Damian Lillard, Dejounte Murray and Tyrese Haliburton.
"We've all been in communication ... Dejounte, Dame, Tyrese... we're all at different points in our recovery. I text them all the time to ask what can you do, and what are you doing in your workouts. We're all in the same boat, just kind of checking in on each other."
The Celtics open the season against the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 22 in Boston.
