Jayson Tatum is facing a long road back to the NBA. The All-NBA forward suffered an Achilles tendon injury during the Boston Celtics’ second round loss to the New York Knicks. Tatum has already undergone surgery to repair the tear, but could be facing 12 months on the sidelines as he recovers and rehabilitates his injury.
Due to Tatum’s injury, the Celtics are expected to make some changes to the current roster. After all, there’s no point having such a high payroll if the team isn’t expected to compete for the next year or two.
When speaking to Kyle Odegard of Esports Insider, former NBA star Dominique Wilkins noted that Tatum should embrace water therapy as part of his rehab program.
Wilkins has previously suffered the same injury and immediately found himself back in the MVP conversation once he was cleared to play.
“If he does a lot of water therapy and a lot of individual workouts to get his range of motion back – he’s got to learn how to walk again – the mobility and the stretching will help him get back quicker, as well as getting the calf stronger,” Wilkins said. “Because when you tear that Achilles tendon, you lose some muscle mass in that leg. You’ve got to try to stay ahead of the game.”
Tatum is young enough to make a full recovery. Players like Wilkins and Kevin Durant have provided the blueprint on how to approach recovery from an Achilles tear. If Tatum can remain focused, stay professional and embrace the journey back to the court, then there’s no reason why he can’t re-establish himself as a top-tier player in the NBA.
Unfortunately for Boston, Tatum’s journey is going to take a while. As such, some difficult stretches are ahead in terms of on-court production.
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