BOSTON — One day before an emotional season debut, Jayson Tatum stood in front of the Boston Celtics and let them know just how deeply he appreciated them.
Tatum already knew he would return Friday night. Before doing so with 15 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in a 120-100 win against the Dallas Mavericks, he wanted to express his gratitude to everyone in the organization who helped him throughout his 10-month recovery from a torn Achilles.
“I think it was more just being vulnerable,” Tatum said. “Showing my appreciation to the team of how they have played this season, how they’ve motivated me.”
During a team meeting Thursday morning at the Celtics practice facility, Tatum stood up to thank his coaches, trainers, teammates and other staff members. Though rehab can be lonely, Tatum said being around the team as much as possible throughout his recovery made him feel like a part of everything. He appreciated all of the extra hours the coaching staff spent helping him. He valued everyone on the roster, including the two-way contract players who competed against him while he was nearing a return. Every day, Tatum explained, he was motivated by the joy and competitive nature his teammates showed. He couldn’t wait to suit up alongside them again.
“It was just real,” Sam Hauser said. “He was just grateful to be in the spot he is and obviously really excited to get back out there. And obviously, he wants to win and be a part of it in a big way. And that’s kind of what his message was.”
Tatum sent another message once he stepped onto the court Friday night. After missing his first six shots, including an air ball and a front-rimmed dunk attempt, he settled in to help the Celtics open up a big lead. A putback dunk late in the second quarter, his first basket, seemed to give him back some level of comfort. On the next Celtics possession, he drained a stepback 3-pointer from the left corner. He hit each of his next three shots after that, giving him five straight overall after the 0-for-6 start.
Despite the rust, Tatum entered halftime on pace for a triple-double with five points, five rebounds and five assists over 14 minutes. He let out a smile before walking off the court. Before he could reach the Celtics tunnel, Hauser wrapped him in a quick hug.
It would have been great to welcome back Tatum anyway. His powerful talk Thursday only added to the emotions.
“It was a special night for him,” Hauser said. “And we were focused on the Mavericks and trying to get a win, but also this is a really big night for him, a big moment for him in his life and his journey and his career. And we wanted to go out there and get a win for him and have him play well, too. And I think we checked both boxes.”
Jayson Tatum walks through a crowd of fans to get to the locker room after the Celtics defeated the Mavericks at TD Garden. (Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
Unlike some other injured players, Tatum stayed around the Celtics throughout his rehab. He has been a constant presence at practices and games — even on the road. Still, Derrick White said Tatum hadn’t spoken up the way he did Thursday.
“It was nice for him to get up there and talk,” White said. “And for him to kind of get his voice back into the team. Because he’s been around, but he hasn’t had that type of voice.”
The message reverberated. Many of the current Celtics witnessed Tatum tearing his Achilles tendon during a second-round playoff loss to the New York Knicks last spring. They experienced the pain in the locker room that night. They saw his family members and friends crying, knowing his career was hurtling into the unknown of a long recovery.
Since then, the Celtics watched how diligently Tatum worked to come back. While they surpassed expectations without him on the court, he tried to be part of every team activity he could participate in. In turn, they tried to make him feel as included as possible. It made him feel more normal spending as much time as he could with the teammates he calls brothers.
They understood how much returning to the court would mean to Tatum. His talk only underscored the importance of the moment to him. He doesn’t always speak up like that.
“It was cool, man,” Hauser said. “No one in here knows what he was going through, just based off of experience. But I can only imagine how hard it was in certain times. He probably felt isolated and lonely, but the fact that he was on every trip with us, he was in film sessions, he was at practices, I think it helped him still feel part of the team. And we did our best to keep him included as well.
“I think the thing about him is, when he speaks, people definitely listen. And he’s real genuine when he does speak up like that. And it was good to hear that from him, just to get somewhat of a glimpse of what he was going through and how he’s feeling about things. So we’re definitely excited to have him back. And obviously he played awesome tonight, and I think there’s going to be a lot more of that the rest of the season.”
How high will the Celtics fly? How much will Tatum’s presence transform them? Those questions won’t be answered immediately. For Tatum, just throwing on the jersey again counted as a big step. Even after some of his mistakes, he could be seen smiling. He said the putback dunk late in the second quarter helped him relax.
“As a basketball player, when you take an extended period of time off, you’re anxious, you want it really bad,” Tatum said. “And obviously, I wanted to hit every shot I took, but I really was just kind of like, grateful. I had a real sense of gratitude, like, just being back on the floor and playing basketball again. And it just kind of brought me back to everything I’ve been through in the last 10 months, and the fact that I was able to even be out there today was like a really big win for me.”
With Tatum, Joe Mazzulla said the Celtics are whole again. A part of Tatum probably didn’t feel complete during the first lengthy absence of his career, but he is back in time for the stretch run. He finished 6 of 16 from the field in his debut. He played 27 minutes in a promising sign about his physical state. Mazzulla said he was pleasantly surprised by Tatum’s conditioning. And he will have a month of the regular season to ramp up before what Boston hopes will be a long playoff run.
Mazzulla said a new journey began for the Celtics on Friday. For Tatum, the gratitude of returning didn’t start on game night. As much time as he put into his recovery, he recognized he was never working alone.
“I really was just kind of telling everybody in the room that they all played a part in essentially getting me to this moment,” Tatum said. “And I was very thankful for that.”
