Celtics star Tatum doesn't rule out playing this NBA season / Photo: Carmen Mandato - GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
Celtics star Tatum doesn't rule out playing this NBA season
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum says he hasn't ruled out a return to the NBA this season as he continues his recovery from a ruptured Achilles tendon.
"I haven't said I'm not playing this season," Tatum said on NBC's Today show on Tuesday, telling interviewers that the timing of his return "is the million-dollar question."
Tatum was carried off the court in the fourth quarter of game four of the Celtics' Eastern Conference semi-finals loss to the New York Knicks and had surgery on May 13.
Rehabilitation from such an injury could typically span an entire season, and Tatum, a six-time NBA All-Star and a member of the USA's Olympic gold medal-winning teams at the Tokyo and Paris Games, said he wouldn't rush a return.
"I think for me and my team, the doctors, the organization, the most important thing is making a full recovery, being back 100%, not rushing it," he said.
"I have a goal in mind," he added. "What I will say is I'm not working out, rehabbing six days a week for no reason."
Tatum was among seven NBA players who suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon last season, a spate of similar injuries that prompted the league to launch an investigation into possible causes.
A.Greco--GdR
