Add LeBron James to the list of people impressed at how well Jayson Tatum has been able to play following his faster-than-normal return from a torn Achilles.
On the latest episode of Mind the Game (starts at 24:55 mark), James praised Tatum for looking “more like himself” as he has continued to get more games under his belt.
James specifically cited the Boston Celtics’ 113-102 win over the Charlotte Hornets on April 7 as an indication of Tatum being close to his old self.
“Backdoor cut for a dunk, get into his rhythm, iso step-back threes where he just looked more like himself, James said of Tatum’s performance in that game. “I think it’s just gonna make (the Celtics) even more dynamic and dangerous to the point where before the injury they were dangerous last year and the year before that. It’s definitely great to have him back, but implementing yourself back after a long period of time like that can be challenging. I think he’s handled himself so far.”
Tatum returned to action on March 6, nearly nine months to the day he suffered the Achilles injury in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks.
Even though Tatum’s shooting efficiency has been slow to return with a 41.1 field-goal percentage, he is having a huge impact for the Celtics. The six-time All-Star averaged 21.8 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game in 16 starts to close the regular season.
The Celtics went 13-3 in games Tatum played to secure the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. They will open the playoffs on Sunday against the winner of Wednesday’s play-in game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic.
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