{"id":1854844,"date":"2026-03-30T00:46:37","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T21:46:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1854844"},"modified":"2026-03-30T00:46:37","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T21:46:37","slug":"jayson-tatums-32-points-mark-big-step-in-achilles-return-he-looked-like-jt-tonight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1854844","title":{"rendered":"Jayson Tatum\u2019s 32 points mark big step in Achilles return: \u2018He looked like JT tonight\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. \u2013 Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has spent nearly a year trying to return to top speed after rupturing his Achilles during last season\u2019s playoffs. He believes slowing down Sunday led to his best game since returning from the injury.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt good tonight,\u201d Tatum said. \u201cI just felt like I was slowing down a lot \u2013 in a good way. Like, I was just reading the game. I didn\u2019t feel sped up tonight. I just felt more in rhythm. And I made some shots.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Before checking out late in the fourth quarter with the Celtics well on their way to a 114-99 victory over the Hornets, Tatum notched 32 points, eight assists and five rebounds, reaching the 30-point mark for the first time since making his season debut on March 6. His previous season high was 27 points. As Tatum rediscovers his efficiency, Sunday\u2019s game marked the 112th time in his career he\u2019s scored at least 30 points while shooting at least 50 percent, inching him closer to Paul Pierce (116) for the second-most such games in Celtics history. Larry Bird (192) holds the team\u2019s regular-season record.<\/p>\n

Tatum considered it his most complete game of the season. Payton Pritchard called the performance a \u201cvery encouraging\u201d sign for the Celtics.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know if we want to win a championship, we need him at a high level,\u201d Pritchard said. \u201cSo, it\u2019s definitely encouraging, but he\u2019s getting better and better each game and looking more and more like himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

The performance marked a key step in Tatum\u2019s recovery, given the challenges high-profile players like him often face trying to regain old form. Kevin Durant reached the 30-point threshold in his fourth game back from his Achilles recovery, which coincided with his debut season with the Brooklyn Nets. Kobe Bryant did so in his eighth outing and second season following his rupture. Dominique Wilkins, known as the standard-bearer for Achilles recoveries after his nine-month rehab, poured in 30 points during his first game back on Nov. 6, 1992.<\/p>\n

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With Jaylen Brown (left Achilles tendinitis) and Derrick White (right knee contusion) sidelined, Tatum started the game with an aggressive mindset. He drove past Brandon Miller for a dunk to open the Celtics\u2019 scoring and added a post-up jumper over LaMelo Ball moments later. Later in the first quarter, Tatum sliced past Ryan Kalkbrenner for another basket at the rim before pulling up from near the Hornets logo for a 3-pointer. Tatum checked out of the game for the first time with nine points over 6:44.<\/p>\n

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Tatum\u2019s hot hand did not disappear during his first stint on the bench. Shortly after reentering the game at the start of the second quarter, he pump faked to lift Miles Bridges off his feet before draining another pull-up 3-pointer. After the basket, Tatum shook his head as if to let it be known the Hornets couldn\u2019t stop him. One minute later, he drew a three-shot foul when Ball was too eager to defend him beyond the arc.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason I was making (shots was) I didn\u2019t feel like I was sped up or off balance that much,\u201d Tatum said. \u201cI still was kind of tired so that\u2019s something I\u2019m still working through, but I just liked the decisiveness in my movements, exploding when I needed to, reacting. Obviously it helps when you hit shots. And I can say I felt better than I did the last game. Hopefully I feel better than I did today the next time I play. I\u2019m still a work in progress.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Tatum subbed out again with 7:06 left in the second quarter, a group of Celtics fans in Charlotte showered him with a loud ovation. He had already scored 16 of his 20 first-half points. Boston took control during the quarter to open a 63-49 halftime lead.<\/p>\n

Tatum scored seven more points during the third quarter. Midway through that period, he delivered a pair of difficult baskets in short succession while splashing home a short jumper over Bridges then spinning into a fadeaway over Kon Knueppel. Tatum shook his head again after the latter score.<\/p>\n

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\n How is Jayson Tatum\u2019s recovery going? Analyzing his early progress with Celtics\n <\/div>\n
\n “I wanted to be perfect and first team All-NBA Jayson, but it’s going to take time,” Tatum says of his return from an Achilles injury.\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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After missing his first four shots of the fourth quarter, Tatum muscled through Ball for a short jumper to give the Celtics a 103-90 lead midway through the period. Tatum then extended his team\u2019s advantage to 16 points with a 3-pointer on the next Boston possession. He again showed plenty of emotion after the basket.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just (that) they went on a run, cut it to nine,\u201d Tatum said. \u201cThe game was just super competitive at that point. As a competitor in the moment, we called a time out, and we got some stops and made some plays to kind of seal the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Tatum did not return to the game after the ensuing timeout. Over 31 minutes played, he shot 12 of 23 from the field, including five of 10 on 3-point attempts. He entered Sunday shooting a career-low 30.3 percent from deep on 8.9 attempts per game.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was just very efficient in his movements, got to his spots,\u201d Pritchard said. \u201cHe looked like JT tonight. So, he was a killer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pritchard also delivered for the Celtics with 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting. Neemias Queta (17 points) and Baylor Scheierman (14 points) joined Tatum and Pritchard in double figures.<\/p>\n

The Celtics\u2019 win clinched a playoff berth. It also gave them at least 50 victories for the fifth straight season. This time, the accomplishment might have meant a little bit more after Tatum\u2019s injury and an offseason overhaul left critics questioning how much success Boston would have.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s huge,\u201d Tatum said. \u201cObviously, playing for the Celtics, the main goal is winning the championship, but you don\u2019t take it for granted. It\u2019s my ninth (consecutive) year going to the playoffs. Especially now more than ever, basketball was taken away from me, so you never want to take a season, a game, or making the playoffs for granted. It\u2019s hard to win in this league. The league is full of talented players and teams. And it just goes to show the mindset of this organization from the top down. We approach every single day with a winning mentality and the culture that we\u2019ve set. Regardless of who\u2019s in, who\u2019s out, who we have on the roster. And I think the product on the floor, it shows that it\u2019s something to be proud of. The adversity that we\u2019ve had to endure over the last 12 months and be the second seed in the East and clinching another playoff berth has meant something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Late in the first half, Tatum became the youngest Celtics player ever to record 14,000 points and the 15th-youngest player in league history to reach that milestone. Tatum turned 28 on March 3.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been fortunate enough to be on some really good teams, be surrounded by some really good players and coaches on this staff that have empowered me and helped me become the player I am today,\u201d Tatum said. \u201cI take a lot of pride in trying to perfect my craft. Obviously over the last 10 1\/2 months, I had to work my ass off just to get back to be able to run up and down the floor. So, it\u2019s something special, given what I\u2019ve had to go through these last 10 \u00bd months, that I was able to reach that and keep on climbing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CHARLOTTE, N.C. \u2013 Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has spent nearly a year trying to return to top speed after rupturing his Achilles during last season\u2019s playoffs. He believes slowing down Sunday led to his best game since returning from the injury. \u201cI felt good tonight,\u201d Tatum said. \u201cI just felt like I was slowing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-1854844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1854844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1854844"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1854844\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1854844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1854844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1854844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}