Jayson Tatum’s Doctor Reveals Unexpected Results Amid Celtics Star’s Emotional Confession

Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum suffered a horrific Achilles injury during last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks. Since then, the former Duke standout has undergone surgery to repair his torn Achilles tendon, which indicates that we won’t be seeing him step onto the court for the entirety of the upcoming season. However, that might not be the case after all.

Although the front office has no intention of rushing him back and such injuries take up to a year even to recover, there has been a positive update on Tatum’s status. It comes from none other than the doctor who’s responsible for treating the former NBA champion. JT’s orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Martin O’Malley, revealed that even though he might not be able to play a part for the majority of the 2025-26 season, the speed at which the Celtics star is recovering is astonishing.

While talking with PEOPLE, O’Malley suggested that he’s never seen an athlete show this much progress so quickly after suffering from an Achilles injury. “I don’t think I’ve seen a person’s calf look as strong as his. At six or eight weeks, he was doing double heel rises. He worked his calf so hard that the side effect of loss of strength, I don’t think he’s going to have any,” he told PEOPLE. This is massive, coming from someone as renowned as Dr. Martin O’Malley, who basically sees hundreds of such injuries every year.

O’Malley is a popular name in the sports business, and has worked with organizations such as the Brooklyn Nets, the New York Giants, and even with Team USA. However, he is not suggesting that Tatum is set to return sooner than expected.

Mar 15, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) warms up before a game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images

Still, the possibility remains that JT returns to the court earlier than the projected timeline and the fact that he has not had any major side effects from the surgery is what has particularly stunned O’Malley. This also reduces the possibility of JT looking like a different player when he returns. Plenty of NBA stars in the past have looked lesser players when they returned from Achilles injury. This includes DeMarcus Cousins, Chauncey Billups, and Rudy Gay, who all had their careers derailed by an Achilles injury, which limited their athleticism and agility even after rehabilitation.

So, it’s certainly positive that Tatum has managed to limit the side effects of this devastating injury. However, this is just the start, and the 27-year-old still has a long road ahead of him, as he’ll have to continue making progress to return to the league in the best possible shape. Nonetheless, this also explains why the four-time All-NBA first team selection was so worried when the injury actually occured.

Jayson Tatum reflects on what could have been a career-ending knock

Even though Jayson Tatum’s doctor has now revealed that the Boston Celtics superstar is making huge strides towards his return, that wasn’t the case just a few months ago when the forward was lying on the floor of the iconic Madison Square Garden in gut-wrenching pain. The St. Louis native reflected on what was going through his mind instantly when he felt that he had suffered a massive injury while talking to Sports Illustrated.

While many might think that the six-foot-eight forward wouldn’t remember anything, given that he was in so much pain, that’s not the case. On the contrary, Tatum revealed that he remembers everything about that moment, and it’s safe to say his first thoughts were not positive. “I literally sat there and cried for two hours ’cause so many things ran through my mind: ‘Damn, is my career over? Am I going to get traded? Are all my partners going to drop me?’” JT recalls.

As soon as he fell onto the hardwood, the 27-year-old suggested that he thought his hooping days were over. Of course, this thought got the better of him, and he cried for almost two hours, and we mean, can you blame him? It’s only normal to feel disheartened when something like this happens to you, especially when everything is going so well. Also, because of the notorious record Achilles injuries have of destroying an athlete’s career.

Jayson Tatum further revealed that he felt like everything was being taken away from him. “I’m in my prime, one of the best basketball players in the world, and it felt like it was all taken away.” As expected, it took weeks before he actually felt better. Since then of course, Tatum has himself come out and say that he is not ruling out a return in the upcoming campaign.

“Which might sound like you’re blowing them off, but it’s the reality. Like, that’s how I’ve approached this process, is like, man, the most important thing is making a full recovery. I’m not saying that I’m not playing this season,” he said per NBC News. Hence, on one hand, his doctor is stunned with his quick recovery and the lack of side-effects. On the other, the player himself is targeting a return as soon as possible.

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