Jayson Tatum wasn’t sure he was going to be here.
“I get the opportunity to be a part of this team and play in the playoffs — I couldn’t be more grateful,” Tatum said at his media session on Friday.
“I think there’s just more of a sense of gratitude than ever. Not that I ever took it for granted but when something is taken away from you, it just means a little bit more.”
It was just eleven months ago that Tatum fell to the Madison Square Garden floor in Game 4 of last season’s Eastern Conference Semifinals
with a torn Achilles.
It has been a long journey for Tatum to get back to this point, some of which you can watch in his mini-documentary, The Quiet Work.
Not even a year after the injury, he needs to be ready for the grind that is the NBA Playoffs so the Celtics can make another run at a championship.
“I’m ready, it’s part of the progression,” Tatum said. “I started on a minute restriction and every couple of games it would go up as we geared up for the playoffs.”
Has JT surprised himself with how well he has played in his return from injury?
“Short answer would be ‘yes,’ but with that there is the quick turnover of wanting more. When you (are) not 100% yourself yet — it’s only been 16 games — it can be frustrating at times but you gotta take a step back and be proud of what you accomplished of just coming back. Everything on top of that has been icing on the cake.”
He was also asked if he feels like he is entering his prime. “I just turned 28… yeah.”
“I’m excited,” Tatum said on how he felt emotionally heading into Game 1 on Sunday. “My perspective has changed these last 48 weeks. When I got injured, there was a lot of uncertainty. The playoffs were not a sure thing. You know, now that I get that opportunity (to play in the playoffs again), I couldn’t be more happy.”
The last question Tatum was asked was about the connection of this Celtics team and how they are working on said connection heading into the playoffs.
“It takes place every day,” JT said. “Going through it and winning a championship. You (are) trying to get a little bit better every single day, that’s what the really special teams do.”
