Exclusive: How Blake Griffin has aided Celtics star Jayson Tatum in his Achilles rehab

Six-time NBA All-Star Blake Griffin knows what it’s like to be on top of the basketball world. He also understands how it feels to have injuries unjustly knock you off that apex when you least expect it. For those reasons, Griffin can relate to his former teammate, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, more than most people.

In an exclusive interview with ClutchPoints, Griffin revealed that he’s been in contact with Tatum, who ruptured his Achilles in May and hasn’t played since. Although they shared the court together for only the 2022-23 season, they’ve maintained a bond and still text regularly, especially during Tatum’s rehab.

“I’ve talked to him a lot over this process,” Griffin told ClutchPoints during an interview for Wayfair. “I’ve just checked in like every, I don’t know, couple weeks — 2, 3, 4 weeks, something like that.”

Over the course of Griffin’s Hall of Fame career, which went on for more than a decade before ending in Boston, the former no. 1 overall pick missed plenty of games due to lingering knee issues. They delayed his start in the NBA and arguably fast-tracked his retirement.

He remembers how isolating it was to be sidelined for an extended period of time.

“I dealt with a lot of injuries, and being away from the team or just rehab can be extremely tedious, but I think it can also be lonely,” he recalled. “I think that’s what people don’t realize.”

Prior to his devastating Achilles injury, Tatum had never really missed many games — even before he was in the Association. So, the 27-year-old was left reeling from the gruesome moment that shocked both the Celtics and their loyal fans.

“Why me, dad?” Tatum asked his father following the season-ending injury, per ESPN’s Marc J. Spears. “Why does this have to happen to me?”

What advice has Blake Griffin shared with Jayson Tatum?

There’s no good answer to those questions, but Griffin was determined to help the fellow six-time All-Star get through his ordeal and come to terms with what happened to him.

“One thing I talked to him about is whenever I got injured I give myself like 24 hours to feel sorry for yourself and be like, ‘This sucks. Like, I can’t believe this is happening,'” Griffin revealed. “Then after that, no more feeling sorry for yourself. You just put your head down and 100 percent of your mental and physical, and whatever other energy you want to call it, goes into getting better.”

Tatum has clearly listened to his former vet, as he’s been at the Auerbach Center (Boston’s practice facility) nearly every day trying to get better — with practically no complaints to be heard.

“It looks like, from from the videos I’ve seen and just talking to him, he’s had a unbelievable outlook on it,” Griffin praised. “And also that’s translating to physically, him looking great already at this point of this rehab stage.”

On Tuesday, the recovering star shared a video of him going against Celtics assistant coach Tony Dobbins in one-on-one drills. The very next day, Tatum was seen getting shots up at practice and looking a little more mobile than usual.

Jayson Tatum getting some shots up: pic.twitter.com/UJYzHar6yC

— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) December 10, 2025

Nearly everybody surrounding Tatum, whether it’s his current teammates or coaches, have made it clear that he’s progressing well. Griffin agrees, yet he doesn’t want him to get lost in that feeling, as it’s a long road back that’ll typically present a few more unexpected obstacles.

“We’ve talked a decent amount, and my message to him was just like, ‘Dude, it sounds cliche, but it’s truly one day at a time,'” he told Tatum. “And you just can’t get too high or low with how you’re feeling. Because one day you’ll try a new exercise and rehab and it’ll feel great. You’ll be like, ‘Oh, man, yes, I made a step today.’ And then the next day you’re sore and you can’t do that same exercise, or whatever it may be. So just having that even-keeled attitude when it comes to rehab.”

It seems like Tatum has taken this advice to heart as well. He’s literally been counting the days since his injury occurred and used that as a motivating benchmark:

6 months

— Jayson Tatum (@jaytatum0) October 28, 2025

Does Blake Griffin think Jayson Tatum should play this season?

The most popular question in Boston remains, though. Can Tatum come back and play this season?

Griffin didn’t want to definitively say when Tatum should or shouldn’t return to play. However, he did outline the potential benefits of a longer recovery process.

“There’s a lot of information on Achilles and all other sorts of injuries, but especially Achilles injuries, where, the longer you wait — like, yes, you may be able to play within, call it 10 months,” he said. “But does 16 months give you a much better chance at not re-injuring and not injuring something else? And I think the data on that is very clear. As good, as much fun as the Celtics are to watch this season, as good as they’ve been, I don’t know that if I was advising him — I don’t know that I would be like, ‘Yeah, you got to get back this year.'”

The Celtics are 15-10 to start the 2025-26 regular season and have won seven of their last 10 contests. That’s good enough to put them in third place in the Eastern Conference, which is a lot higher than most people would’ve ranked the undermanned C’s through 25 games.

Injecting Tatum into a talented starting lineup that’s already shown major growth this season is enticing for Boston. The Celtics’ go-to guy has implied he wants to take the court again as soon as possible, so an early 2026 return can’t be completely ruled out.

“If it’s something he wants to do mentally,” Griffin began while discussing Tatum playing this season. “Just to be like, ‘Hey, I did it. I put in all this work, and I’m going to go play 20 minutes in a game here, there.’ I don’t know that I could tell him he’s wrong to do that.”

Obviously, Griffin doesn’t want Tatum to have his career disrupted by injuries. And given what Griffin went through during his time in the NBA, it’s easy to see why he might have a more cautious outlook on injury timelines.

“But when you’re thinking about the Boston Celtics and from here on out…when you’re him and you’re thinking about the rest of his career, I think it’s probably probably smart to not (return early),” Griffin opined.

The future Hall of Famer clarified that it’s not his place to truly judge Tatum’s decision, a sentiment shared by Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla. Griffin has witnessed Tatum’s work ethic and hunger firsthand, and he trusts in him to be ready whenever he does choose to suit up in the green and white again.

“I’m not in the weight room every day,” Griffin emphasized. “I’m not in the training room every day. I don’t know exactly where he’s at, so that’s truly only a question he can answer.”

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