Why Jayson Tatum could benefit from longest real NBA offseason of career

· Yahoo Sports

BOSTON — It might feel like the sky is falling for the Boston Celtics. On Saturday night, they blew their first 3-1 series lead in franchise history after falling at home in Game 7 to the rival Philadelphia 76ers. Opportunities were squandered, open shots were missed, and Celtics star Jayson Tatum was sidelined for the first-round series finale due to untimely tightness behind his left knee.

However, nearly a year ago, the Celtics were undoubtedly in a tougher spot. Tatum had just ruptured his right Achilles and the C's were bounced from the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the New York Knicks a few days later. Boston was left reeling from the loss of the series and of its superstar, as nobody knew when Tatum would return to play.

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At least this time around, the Celtics can plan on Tatum being ready to go for opening night in October.

"I get a long offseason to really get back to 110 percent," Tatum said in his exit interview on Sunday afternoon. "I guess that's the silver lining of it all."

Although Tatum suited up for the Green Team on March 6, which was practically unheard of in terms of recovery speed, it's clear that he wasn't fully himself yet. He showed flashes to start and really started to perform in the playoffs, averaging over 23 points per outing in six games against the Sixers. But, then his left leg reminded him that he's not superhuman after all, stiffening up in Game 6 and ultimately ruling him out for Game 7.

Tatum was obviously disappointed that he couldn't give his team a boost in the do-or-die contest on Saturday evening, but he wouldn't let the constraints of his Achilles rehab discourage him or spoil his comeback season.

"In the big picture of things, today's May 3 and I tore my Achilles on May 12," Tatum recalled at the Auerbach Center. "So, it hasn't even been a full year yet. Just what I was able to accomplish in coming back and helping my teammates and the staff and, all things considered, for me to even be able to come back and play. And play at the level I was playing at, even at 80, 85 percent."

While some fans and pundits are debating whether or not it was smart for Tatum to play again in the first place if he couldn't go for Game 7, it's obvious that returning to action worked wonders for his confidence.

"I'm proud of the fact I was able to prove to myself that I can still play this game at a very, very high level, even not being 100 percent of myself," Tatum emphasized. "There were doubts of, 'Will I be able to be the same player? Will I be able to play at a high level after this injury?' And now I have proven it and shown that, even at 80, 85 percent of myself."

So, how does Tatum regain the extra 15 to 20 percent? Well, he'll first make use of the longest, real offseason of his NBA career. The Celtics haven't lost in the first round of the playoffs since 2021 and early summers have simply not existed while Tatum and fellow star Jaylen Brown have been in Boston. And when the C's were eliminated in the first round by the Brooklyn Nets five years ago, Tatum went to Japan shortly after to help the United States win a gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (that were held in the summer of 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic).

With that timeline in mind, Tatum's upcoming offseason is the longest, true break of his NBA career.

No Olympics, no NBA Finals — just recovery.

"Getting an extended period of time to 'deload' and take some time off and come back next season 100 percent, 110 percent ready," Tatum said of the upcoming summer. "Get my body right and get my right calf bigger compared to my left one. So I'm excited about that."

As Tatum mentioned his unnaturally-sized calves, a faint smile appeared on his face. The Celtics superstar is still able to find some humor in his unfortunate situation, which is a good sign for his morale, the next steps of his rehab, and the Celtics' future on the whole.

"I'm very happy that I came back to be a part of this team," Tatum said before concluding his final interview. "Get back to doing what I love, to give us a chance to compete for a championship, to prove to myself that I can get back to being the guy who I was — and hopefully better."

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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics star Jayson Tatum plans to use extra time off to fully recover

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