Celtics give injury updates on Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown
There is no timeline for Jayson Tatum to return from his ruptured Achilles, and the Boston Celtics don't anticipate having one anytime soon. At least the news is better on Boston's other injured star, Jaylen Brown.
Celtics president of basketball ops. Brad Stevens held court with reporters late Wednesday night after taking Spanish wing Hugo Gonzalez with the No. 28 pick in the NBA Draft, but also gave a quick update on the health and well-being of Boston's top two players.
Stevens said both Tatum and Brown have been training at the Auerbach Center on a daily basis and are fully committed to their rehabs.
"It's usually the time of the year when I don't see those guys a lot," said Stevens. "They usually go and kind of rest, and get away, but they've both prioritized getting better and rehabbing, and after a long season, I appreciate that about them."
No timeline for Jayson Tatum
Tatum ruptures his Achilles in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks, but was able to undergo surgery the very next day. That is expected to expedite his return, though he'll likely miss the entire 2025-26 season.
And the Celtics are not going to rush the 27-year-old back. Stevens was asked if there is a timeline for Tatum's return, and said not to expect one for a while.
"We don't and we won't. We won't put a projected timeline on him for a long, long time," said Stevens. "As we look at it, there's no reason to. It's baby steps right now."
Stevens said that Tatum has "progressed great" so far, but knows it's a long road ahead for the six-time NBA All-Star.
"I don't know what that means with regard to projected timelines," he said. "That'll be in consultation with him and [team trainers] Nick [Sang] and Phil Coles and everybody else to make sure that when he hits the court, he is fully ready and fully healthy. That will be the priority."
Jaylen Brown expected back before training camp
Stevens gave a soft timeline for Brown, who had to undergo a procedure for a partially torn meniscus. Brown has already returned to limited on-court activities, and the Celtics are expecting him to be ready to go "well ahead" of training camp.
"He's doing great," Stevens said of Brown. "His rehab looks good. He was actually on the court the other day doing some ball handling and doing some light work around the rim. Nothing big movement-wise yet."
Priorities for rest of Celtics offseason
While the moves aren't yet official, the Celtics are reportedly trading away veterans Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, moves that have put the team get under the vaunted second apron. Stevens couldn't discuss the trades on Wednesday, but said the team has been focused on regaining flexibility and maximizing their assets and trade returns.
Now that the Celtics are out of the second apron and have some wiggle room to sign players, Stevens is making his priority for the rest of the offseason clear. It includes bringing back a pair of fan favorites to the Boston frontcourt in veteran Al Horford and reserve big man Luke Kornet.
"As you look at the rest of the team and what we're trying to do, there's no question our priorities would be to bring Al and Luke back. Those guys are huge parts of this organization," said Stevens.
Both are free agents, and would likely have to take a team-friendly deal to return to Boston.
"They're going to have, I'm sure, plenty of options all over the place, and that's well deserved," said Stevens. "But that would be a priority. At the same time, I don't want to put pressure on them. It would be their call, ultimately, but we would love to have those guys back."
The Celtics are scheduled to make the second pick in Thursday night's second round of the NBA Draft -- No. 32 overall -- and a pair of promising big men remain on the board in Stanford's Maxime Raynaud and Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner.
