The New England Patriots were out at practice on Wednesday and another Boston sports star — Jayson Tatum of the Celtics — was on hand. Notably, Tatum, roughly three months after suffering an Achilles tear in the NBA playoffs, was seen without a boot and walking rather comfortably.
Tatum suffered a torn right Achilles tendon on May 12 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals vs. the New York Knicks, and quickly underwent surgery to repair the tear. That began what’s expected to be a lengthy recovery process, though no official timetable has been communicated by the Celtics.
At the very least, it was encouraging to see Tatum moving around more freely as he observed Patriots training camp.
Tatum is coming off a season in which he averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game while securing a sixth consecutive All-Star appearance. He also earned first-team All-NBA honors for the fourth straight year. Since that injury, the Celtics have traded starters Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis and seem content for a bit of a rebuilding year as the 27-year-old Tatum heals up.
Jayson Tatum injury update: Here’s how Celtics superstar is progressing from season-ending Achilles tear
Brad Crawford
While it’s unclear whether he’ll return to the court next season, Tatum saw plenty of action at Patriots camp as coach Mike Vrabel jumped in during a mid-practice fracas. When a scuffle involving rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson broke out, Vrabel jumped right in to break it up. Vrabel emerged bloodied, and he may sport a battle scar for a bit.
That intensity from Vrabel got the attention of quarterback Drake Maye, but the Celtics were probably happy to see Tatum staying far away from the altercation.
