Jayson Tatum opened up about his recovery from an Achilles injury, describing the mental challenge of returning to basketball and the importance of regaining confidence during the rehabilitation process.
Speaking to The Dan Patrick Show, Tatum discussed the medication he used during the early stages of his recovery and how it helped him navigate one of the most difficult phases of rehabilitation.
Tatum said he took Janavix, a non-opioid medication for moderate to severe acute pain, around four weeks into his rehabilitation.
“Rehab is obviously about phases and different processes and steps,” Tatum said. “That was just a step where I was in on crutches and in a boot and it was the first time I was putting 50% weight bearing on that surgical site.”
After discussing the medication with his surgeon, Dr. Ali, Tatum said the experience gave him confidence to continue progressing.
“For me it was perfect,” Tatum said. “I didn’t experience any pain, any side effects. So it just gave me the confidence to kind of continue to push forward.”
Tatum also leaned on fellow NBA players who had experienced Achilles injuries. He specifically mentioned Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton, with Lillard particularly helpful because he was several weeks further along in his recovery.
“I talked to Dame a lot just because, you know, he was three, four weeks ahead of me,” Tatum said. “So I was just curious about how his transition was, what his next steps were.”
The players’ similar timelines allowed them to support each other throughout the process.
“All of us just kind of being in the same boat around the same time, just kind of being helpful to each other,” Tatum said.
Tatum eventually returned to the court during the 2025-26 season, but he admitted that the comeback was accompanied by considerable anxiety.
“I was nervous. I was anxious,” Tatum said when asked about his first game back. “To be honest, I was nervous every game that I played in this past season.”
Tatum played 16 regular-season games in 2025-26, averaging 21.8 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists before returning for the playoffs.
Despite not being completely back to his previous level physically, Tatum said the experience was important because it proved to him that he could still be effective.
“I was glad I went out there and I proved to myself even, you know, if I was at 80% or whatnot, that I could be effective,” Tatum said. “And I knew that given a long offseason that I would be back to myself this October.”
For Tatum, however, the biggest obstacle was not necessarily the physical recovery.
“Physically, this day and age, especially in professional sports with the best trainers and doctors and modern medicine, like physically you’re going to recover and you’re going to be cleared to play,” Tatum said. “It’s the mental hurdle that is the toughest.”
Tatum emphasized that the psychological side of an Achilles recovery cannot simply be accelerated by someone else.
“It just takes time,” he said. “And only you can understand and know when you’re 100% ready, when you’re confident. Nobody else can do that for you.”
After missing most of last season, Tatum is now preparing for his first full campaign since suffering the Achilles injury. The Celtics will enter 2026-27 with Tatum back at the center of their plans after finishing 56-26 last season.
