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CLEVELAND, OHIO – NOVEMBER 30: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics watches from the bench during the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena on November 30, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The Boston Celtics<\/a> are 38-20 and playing some of the best basketball in the Eastern Conference. They went 3-1 on a West Coast road trip and returned home with their second place standing intact.<\/p>\n Jayson Tatum<\/a> has watched all of it from the sideline, working every day toward a return from the torn Achilles he suffered in last year\u2019s playoffs. The progress has been real. The timeline is moving.<\/p>\n On Thursday, a message arrived from someone who knows exactly what that road feels like.<\/p>\n Murray Sends Message to Tatum<\/p>\n Dejounte Murray<\/a> made his own return from an Achilles rupture earlier this week, suiting up for the New Orleans Pelicans<\/a> for the first time in over thirteen months. On Thursday, he took to Instagram and posted a photo from his comeback. Tatum was among the first to respond.<\/p>\n \u201cMy brotha, overly happy for you,\u201d Tatum wrote in the comments<\/a>.<\/p>\n Murray\u2019s reply said everything about the bond the two have built through parallel journeys.<\/p>\n \u201cMy brother. We got through this s*** together,\u201d Murray wrote back<\/a>. \u201cWaiting on you.\u201d<\/p>\n Two players. Two Achilles injuries. One already back on the floor, the other closing in on his own return.<\/p>\n Dejounte Murray to Jayson Tatum on Instagram \ud83d\udc40 <\/p>\n Where Tatum\u2019s Recovery Stands<\/p>\n Tatum\u2019s own recovery has cleared significant milestones in recent weeks. ESPN\u2019s Shams Charania<\/a> reported that Tatum has progressed to full five-on-five scrimmage work in practice, a step that marks a clear shift from rehabilitation into genuine basketball preparation.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, it\u2019s about him continuing to put in the time, continuing to get his conditioning up,\u201d Charania said<\/a>. \u201cThere are two elements at play. One is increasing the strength in both of his calves off of that Achilles tendon injury, and the big hurdle of all this is getting 100 percent there on the mental side.\u201d<\/p>\n Charania has been consistent in his characterisation of how the Celtics are approaching the timeline.<\/p>\n The latest for ESPN NBA Countdown on Boston\u2019s Jayson Tatum, a full go in five-on-five team scrimmages nine months post-Achilles surgery: <\/p>\n What His Return Means for the Celtics<\/p>\n The Celtics have built something real without JT. Jaylen Brown<\/a> is in the midst of a stellar season, averaging 29.2 points, 7 rebounds and 4.9 assists<\/a>, all career highs. Payton Pritchard<\/a> and Derrick White<\/a> have thrived.<\/p>\n Boston has not been treading water in Tatum\u2019s absence. They have been winning. That foundation does not disappear when Tatum returns. It becomes the platform he steps back onto.<\/p>\n No date has been circled publicly. But the five-on-five work is underway. The conditioning is building. The mental side is another piece.<\/p>\n Murray already made it back. His message to Tatum on Thursday was simple and direct.<\/p>\n Waiting on you.<\/p>\n Final Word for the Celtics<\/p>\n Dejounte Murray spent thirteen months working his way back from an Achilles rupture. He knows what the final stretch of that journey feels like. His message to Tatum on Thursday was not just encouragement. It was confirmation from someone who has been through it that the finish line is real.<\/p>\n Tatum is running five-on-five. His conditioning is building. The Celtics are 38-20 and holding down second place in the East. Everything is pointing in the same direction.<\/p>\n Murray made it back. Boston is waiting on Tatum to do the same. That moment is coming soon.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tKeith Watkins<\/a> Keith Watkins is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. He previously wrote for FanSided, NBA Analysis Network, and Last Word On Sports. Keith is based in Bangkok, Thailand. More about Keith Watkins<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Celtics\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t