BOSTON — One day before Jayson Tatum made his season debut, he opted to address his Celtics teammates and coaches. Before he could return to the floor after 298 days sidelined, he wanted to express his gratitude to everyone who allowed him to get to the point where coming back was a possibility.
First, Tatum address his teammates, who held it down all season en route to the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Following his return game, Tatum said this year’s Celtics team was probably the most fun
team to watch around the league — and that watching them from the sidelines made him want to work harder in pursuit of a comeback.
“The joy and competitive nature that they displayed — I wanted to be a part of that,” Tatum said.
So, Tatum accompanied the Celtics for nearly every film session, practice, shootarond, and game — home or away. That allowed him to stay connected with the guys even through months of his being sidelined.
“Going through rehab and being injured is lonely,” Tatum said. “It’s not intentional. I couldn’t practice for a while, I couldn’t be in the game. When they were on the court, I was in the weight room, having to do my own thing. So you feel isolated, in a sense. But I just expressed that being around as much as possible, going to games, being on the plane, really made me feel like I was still very much a part of the team, and how thankful to the group for just being themselves.”
In that same Thursday address, Tatum went out of his way to thank the coaching staff for going the extra mile throughout his recovery; the Celtics star would often be seen working with assistant coaches like Amile Jefferson and Tony Dobbins after practice, among others. And, before he began playing 5-on-5 with teammates, he oftentimes played with, and against, a slew of Celtics coaches.
“I was thankful to the coaches that extended their days a lot by helping me during rehab and on the court and pick-up games [for] my conditioning,” Tatum said. “I really just kind of telling everybody in the room that they all played a part in essentially helping me get to this moment.”
Joe Mazzulla himself brimmed with pride as he reflected on Tatum’s speech.
“He came on the other side of this better person,” Mazzulla said.
Jayson Tatum especially grateful for longtime trainer, Nick Sang
But, of all the gratitude he expressed, there was one person who he credited most for his recovery: his trainer, Nick Sang.
Sang, who has been working with Tatum and the Celtics since 2017, was in many ways the mastermind of Tatum’srecovery.
“He’s had the biggest role,” Tatum said. “For the last 10 months, I haven’t went 48 hours without seeing Nick. He was there, obviously, when I got injured. He’s been with me every step of the way. I’m very fortunate to have someone that is as selfless and dedicated as he is.”
On top of being Tatum’s dedicated trainer, Sang doubles one of Tatum’s closest friends.
“That’s a bonus,” Tatum said. “[He’s] somebody that I know cares about me as a person and is invested as much as anyone you know.”
Tatum’s rehab began almost immediately after he underwent surgery in May. As such, Sang accompanied Tatum to all his offseason travels, and dove deep into the Achilles tendon recovery world to ensure that Tatum’s recovery plan was as optimal as it could possibly be.
“I’ve seen Nick work countless hours to research and call specialists and dot every I, cross every T, to make sure we were doing the right things, and make sure we didn’t skip any steps,” Tatum said. “Held me accountable every single day, pushed me when I didn’t necessarily want to be there, or when I doubted myself.”
In his first game back in nearly 10 months, he talled 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists en route to a 120-100 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. The Celtics outscored the Mavs by 20 points in his 27 minutes on the floor.
And, while Tatum’s recovery journey doesn’t end here — he made clear of that — taking the TD Garden parquet was a critical step he’s long been dreaming of. And, he credits Sang for helping him get there.
“I can never say thank you enough to him,” Tatum said. “He’s been with me every single day since I got injured. He’s a big reason why I was able to recover as fast as I did and make it to this point. It was on him. I can’t say enough good things about him, and I can’t thank him enough.”
