Celtics’ Jayson Tatum gets heartwarming recovery message from Klay Thompson originally appeared on The Sporting News Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
Jayson Tatum is officially back and ready to help the Boston Celtics win their 19th flag. It’s been a pretty quick road to recovery, but it hasn’t been easy for the superstar. He had to watch his team collapse in the NBA playoffs while also dealing with the uncertainty of the season passing. The team led by coaches Joe Mazzula and Jaylen Brown has held its own without him, but no one can offer him greater comfort than someone who has been through the same thing — Dallas Mavericks guard and Golden State Warriors legend Klay Thompson.
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Mavericks veteran knows how tough Tatum’s injury recovery can be
When Tatum made his season debut against the Mavericks, he attempted a few dunks but didn’t really hit the net until the second quarter. Obviously, injuries have limited him, and Coach Mazzula’s minutes restrictions mean he has less time to impact games. Thompson saw this and quickly ran to the Celtics superstar after the game.
Despite seeing someone face the same predicament between 2019 and 2022, via Jay King of The Athletic , his message remains optimistic.
“I talked to Klay Thompson for a while after the game the other day. His message was, one of his messages was, ‘Man, give yourself some grace.’ He said he wishes he could give himself more grace. Obviously, as elite athletes and competitors, we want it very much, but I’m still on the road to recovery and this is just a phase in it,” Tatum said of his interaction with the Mavericks veteran.
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Notably, Thompson was injured during the Warriors’ 2019 NBA Finals, leading to the end of the dynasty. A year later, he tore his right Achilles tendon, which ruled him out until January 9, 2022. Also that year, the Warriors won the Larry O’Brien Trophy against the Celtics.
Tatum hopes to achieve the same glory that Thompson achieved after returning from injury. He has performed well so far, helping Celtic win their last two games since his debut. Coach Mazzula and his team are now just 2.5 games away from the top seed in the Eastern Conference standings.
