The Boston Celtics have seen superstar Jayson Tatum bounce back from his Achilles injury in spectacular fashion, and it's something that has impressed LA Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue.
Just 10 months after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in his right foot, Tatum returned to the court for the Celtics and played very well.
Tatum played surprisingly well in his return against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night, recording 15 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in 27 minutes of play. Tatum recorded his first bucket on a putback dunk in the second quarter, and followed it with a corner three-pointer on the ensuing possession.
In his second game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Tatum had 20 points, three rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes, including 12 points in the opening period.
LA Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue, who hails from Mexico, Missouri and actually calls St. Louis native Jayson Tatum his cousin, talked about the return of the former six-time NBA All-Star.
“I talked to him the night before [his return against the Mavs] And he was very excited," Lue told ClutchPoints. "He's very excited to get back on the field because he loves the game. Just happy for him. A tough recovery, 10 months of rehab, doing all the things to get back and he very easily could have just turned around and just waited until next year, but he wanted to be on the floor, he wanted to help his team win.
“Boston is second in the East and has a real chance to win another championship, so for him to come back and be on the court shows you a lot about who he is.”
During his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Tyronn Lue actually revealed that Tatum is someone he considers his little cousin.
"He's my little cousin," Lew said in a 2016 interview. “His dad, Justin Tatum, is Larry Hughes' best friend and they come over all the time. They're part of my extended family, Justin, so they come over all the time and it's crazy seeing him from when he was six or seven years old to what he is today. Seeing the player he's become, you knew he was going to be good, but now he's at a whole new level.”
Without superstar Jayson Tatum, the Celtics compiled a 41–21 record in the first 62 games of the season. Since his return, the Celtics have won two consecutive wins without much difficulty. Boston is also currently only 2.5 games behind the Detroit Pistons, so the Celtics are a very real possibility.
Meanwhile, Tyronn Lue's Clippers have continued to play well after starting the season with a dreadful 6-21 record. Since December 20, the three teams with the best records are the Boston Celtics (27–10), San Antonio Spurs (27–10) and LA Clippers (26–11).
"I just feel confident," Lue said of his team's goals this season. "I feel confident in our players, I feel confident in our coaching staff, and I feel confident in the environment and culture we've set. Why wouldn't you want to play to win? That's our mentality, that's my mentality every night. No matter how hard it is, if you start 6-21 or whatever, you're playing to win. We'll try to make the playoffs and then anything can happen. Our goal is to make the playoffs." Is."
The Celtics and Clippers have already played their two games against each other, so Tatum and Lue won't see each other again this season.
