On Sunday afternoon, the Boston Celtics continued their winning ways with a relatively comfortable road win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. This marked the second game back from his Achliees injury for star Jayson Tatum, who scored 20 points in what was a defensive clinic for Boston.
Prior to tipoff, Cavs star James Harden embraced Tatum as they took the floor, and ESPN cameras caught Harden's kind message to the Celtics star.
“Proud of you, bro. Congratulations,” said Harden, per SportsCenter on X, formerly Twitter.
"Proud of you bro. Congratulations." ❤️
James Harden with a classy gesture to Jayson Tatum before the game on completing his comeback from his Achilles injury 🙌 pic.twitter.com/f8nj1VUNed
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 8, 2026
Tatum completed one of the fastest recoveries from an Achilles injury that the NBA has ever seen, having suffered the injury last May in Boston's playoff loss to the New York Knicks.
In his absence this season, the Celtics have been one of the most surprising stories in the NBA, currently sitting in the number two spot in the Eastern Conference, with Jaylen Brown garnering some fringe consideration for the league MVP award for his play so far this year.
However, any legit chance that the Celtics have of competing for a second championship in the modern era likely hinge on the health of Tatum, who has looked solid so far in his two games since returning from the injury. Although the efficiency and explosiveness will understandably need some time to come back, Tatum's shooting form looks arguably smoother than it did before the setback, and he's shown little hesitancy about putting the ball on the floor and looking for his shot.
He's also looked able to move his feet relatively well on the defensive end of the floor, even though it might take some time for him to fully regain his athleticism and burst.
In any case, the Celtics will next hit the floor on Tuesday evening for a tough road game against the San Antonio Spurs.
