PROVIDENCE — Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum still has a lot of work to do before he's back on the court, but he's shown progress in his recovery from a ruptured Achilles. Nowhere was that more apparent than in Providence on Thursday morning, as the 2024 NBA champion walked around the Manton Heights neighborhood without a boot or crutch in sight.
While constantly rehabbing from such an untimely injury is enough to put anybody in a bad mood, Tatum was all smiles. That's because he was among a sizable crowd of Celtics fans who were eager to be near their franchise player in any capacity. Kids, adults, and media members alike followed Tatum as he — along with Celtics head coach and Rhode Island native Joe Mazzulla — helped break ground on a new early education center that'll open in 2026.
Jayson Tatum takes center stage pic.twitter.com/vcYMZ8IyGH
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) August 7, 2025
Tatum wasn't walking as he naturally would, yet he still managed to traverse the streets and stairs of Manton Heights well in one of his first public appearances since his significant surgery in late May.
Jayson Tatum is already walking up stairs just 3 months after getting surgery to repair his torn Achilles 🙌
(via @NoaDalzell)
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 7, 2025
Celtics President Rich Gotham was pleased to see Tatum in good health, and he told the press that each day is a step in the right direction for the 27-year-old.
“He's gone from walking around in a boot and just kind of wiggling his toes as a rehab to, as you see him today, he's walking around a little more freely,” Gotham said. “That's obviously very encouraging to all of us at the Celtics. He's such a special guy, such a special player, but also a special person.”
For the last six seasons, Tatum has led the C's in scoring while earning six straight All-Star nods. He's also barely missed any games, playing in 585 regular season contests over the last eight years while averaging 34.5 minutes per outing.
He's not accustomed to being injured, so this Achilles setback is undoubtedly the biggest obstacle he's faced in his NBA career. While that is quite daunting for somebody who's practically played basketball nonstop since childhood, Tatum will have Boston's medical staff, his teammates, and all of Celtics Nation behind him.
Thursday was the perfect representation of that, as Rhode Islanders cheered him on everywhere he went. Gotham mentioned that the Celtics' practice facility is an encouraging environment for Tatum, too. Albeit a quieter one in comparison to the enthusiastic kids of Manton Heights, who were literally counting down the seconds until they could see their favorite player.
“So, we're just all in his court, rooting for him to get back, come back,” Gotham stated. “And seeing him progress — it's funny, when you go out to our practice facility, like, ‘Oh, he's walking today. He doesn't have a boot on today!' Little milestones in what's a pretty grueling process for him, but it's great to see him out at something like this and giving back to the community.”
These kids were counting down to Jayson Tatum’s arrival for the past 5 minutes pic.twitter.com/cO16atEdYP
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) August 7, 2025
In Tatum's absence, the Celtics will likely fail to record their third 60-win season in a row. How far they fall from their typical standard of success remains to be seen, but, just like those kids from Providence, the Celtics will be counting down the seconds until their go-to guy is back on the court again.
