Charles Barkley urges Jayson Tatum to lean on 2x NBA champ amid Achilles injury recovery: "Same thing I told Victor Wembanyama"
NBA legend and current analyst Charles Barkley had some sound advice for Jayson Tatum, who suffered a torn Achilles tendon on Monday. Barkley cited the same thing he told Victor Wembanyama when he was diagnosed with blood clots after the All-Star break.
Speaking on "Inside the NBA," Barkley urged the Boston Celtics superstar to call Kevin Durant for advice on the experience he had when he tore his Achilles in the 2019 NBA Finals. Tatum underwent surgery on Tuesday and is expected to make a full recovery.
"First call I would make is to Kevin Durant," Barkley said. "Same thing I told Victor Wembanyama about the blood clot, my first call would have been to Chris Bosh. If I'm Jayson, I'd call Kevin Durant. I saw he's six years removed from the time he blew out his Achilles, and he's still a hell of a player. So, that's the first person I'd call."
Charles Barkley explained that Kevin Durant could give Jayson Tatum insight into his recovery, rehab, and overall experience of dealing with a torn Achilles. Durant suffered the injury in the 2019 NBA Finals, leading to him missing the entire 2019-20 season.
KD returned the following campaign, though he was on a minutes restriction. He was still the same player and continued to play at a high level. He's had some unfortunate injuries over the past six years, but all were unrelated to his Achilles injury.
Tatum is just 27 years old, so he'll have a full year to recover before returning to the court. It's a big blow for the Boston Celtics since they expected to contend for championships in the next few years.
How did the Boston Celtics fare without Jayson Tatum?
Jayson Tatum has been the ironman for the Boston Celtics since he was drafted third in 2017. Tatum has played in 585 regular-season games so far and has only missed 59 games. The Celtics have a winning record of 29-22 in those 59 games, which is a silver lining for the franchise.
Tatum missed 10 games this past regular season, with the Celtics getting eight wins. In the playoffs, he has only missed one in his career, which happened in Game 2 of their first-round series against the Orlando Magic this year. The Celtics won that game, so it's another good sign for Boston.
Without Tatum, the Celtics will lean on Jaylen Brown, who has also been dealing with a minor knee injury since the playoffs started. Derrick White and Jrue Holiday are a fantastic backcourt, while Kristaps Porzingis has not been himself due to an unspecified illness.
