Source: Jayson Tatum ahead of schedule in Achilles rehab, wants to play this season

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum is ahead of schedule in his Achilles rehab and wants to play this season, a league source told Ahn Fire Digital.

Tatum tore his right Achilles tendon on May 12. The Duke product believes he’ll be able to return before the end of the regular season, the source said.

The Celtics’ final game of the regular season is on April 12 against the Orlando Magic.

One of the top players in the NBA, Tatum appeared in 72 games for the Celtics last season. He averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.5 blocks per game.

Tatum was the third overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. He’s made six All-Star teams and five All-NBA teams with Boston. The talented small forward has career averages of 23.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.

A future Hall of Famer, Tatum helped the Celtics win the 2024 championship against the Dallas Mavericks. He told DJ Siddiqi of Poker Strategy in October that he’s not worried about tearing his surgically repaired Achilles again.

“I mean the exact number, I know the number is low,” Tatum said. “Everybody thinks it’s a time-based recovery. Time is obviously important, but you have to hit certain benchmarks. The most important thing is all these tests of your strength, the strength in your calf, the strength in your leg. Getting into the same strength as your left calf or even stronger.

“For some guys, that takes six, nine, 12 months. Everybody’s just different. But the surgery that I got, the things that we’ve been doing, I feel very, very confident in that surgical site. We won’t have that problem again.”

The Celtics haven’t been pushing Tatum to return this season, the source said. If the swingman plays, it will be solely his decision.

Boston is 15-9 on the season. Joe Mazzulla’s group is in third place in the Eastern Conference standings.