It’s been nearly six weeks since Jayson Tatum ruptured his Achilles tendon, and to these round him, his spirits appear excessive.
That’s what Celtics free agent Torrey Craig — who has spent a number of time on the Auerbach Middle in current weeks — mentioned in an look on CLNS Media’s Backyard Report.
“He’s getting his routine down,” Craig mentioned. “He’s at all times in together with his coach doing his rehab. I feel it’ll get simpler as time goes on, nevertheless it’s at all times robust seeing any individual like that go down, particularly an individual like JT.”
Tatum posted a photograph of himself on the facility earlier this month, and Craig shared a video of the Celtics star laughing and getting therapy final week.
Craig has routinely labored out on the Auerbach Middle alongside his son, Braylon, and a number of the youthful gamers on the roster — Baylor Scheierman, Miles Norris, Drew Peterson — in addition to extra veteran gamers like Payton Pritchard and Al Horford.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown — each recovering from offseason surgical procedure — have recurrently been within the constructing getting therapy. Craig mentioned it’s been nice to see Tatum lively on social media and getting again to himself.
“[It’s good] to see him smiling and laughing and joking round and simply having a standard dialog, speaking concerning the offseason and what I’m as much as,” Craig mentioned. “I simply stay up for his restoration, the progress he’s making, and it’s at all times simply good seeing him in good spirits.”
”He loves the sport a lot and basketball means a lot to him. He places a lot arduous work into it, and dedication and sacrifice, and all the above. For one thing like this to occur at that second, within the playoffs, it’s simply gut-blowing.”
So, as a frequent Auerbach Middle offseason customer, he’s making a concerted effort to maintain Tatum’s spirits excessive.
“I at all times attempt to lighten the temper up round him, not be too severe, make jokes to see him snigger, see him smile,” Craig mentioned.
Torrey Craig gushed about having Tatum as a teammate
Craig, a 34-year-old veteran, has performed for six NBA groups and shared the ground with a slew of All-Stars, together with former MVPs like Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic.
What struck Craig most about enjoying with Tatum this previous season was his humility — whether or not he went off for 50 factors or had a quiet evening, Tatum was at all times precisely the identical.
“He’s in all probability essentially the most — out of all of the teammates I’ve had — he’s in all probability essentially the most humble of all of them,” Craig mentioned. “I feel he’s too humble, truly. To be as nice as he’s, and to be as humble as he’s, and only a type individual, I feel folks sort of take that as a right generally.”
Tatum has a protracted highway forward in his restoration; medical consultants anticipate him to overlook anyplace from 7 to fifteen months as he returns from some of the severe accidents a basketball participant can face.
Within the meantime, these round him are grateful to have had the chance to share the court docket with him.
“He’s an awesome teammate,” Craig mentioned. “I feel that begins with him simply being an awesome individual, an awesome human total.”
