Tatum was medically cleared to practice in early February and cleared to play at the end of the month, but it took longer for him to feel psychologically ready, he says. The way he feels now is "night and day" compared to the beginning of the season, "and physically you're clear, you can do all the things," he says. "But it's a long time that I haven't competed or played in a game. That mental hurdle is a real thing."
Will he be the same Jayson Tatum who was a six-time NBA All-Star and who led his team to a championship in 2024? "I understand the magnitude of the injury that I had, and it's not like the first day I step on the court that I'm going to be who I was in the playoffs last year," he says. "I understand there's going to be a grace period or progression. I want to feel like wherever I start, I'm trending upward to get back to who I was. And I have no doubt that is possible."
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