How Blake Griffin helped Celtics star Jayson Tatum recover

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

In an exclusive interview with ClutchPoints, Griffin revealed that he has been in contact with Tatum, who ruptured his Achilles in May and he hasn’t played since. Although they are they shared the field together only in the 2022-23 seasonthey keep in touch and still text regularly, especially during Tatum’s rehab.

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

During Griffin’s Hall of Fame career, which spanned more than a decade before ending in Boston, the former no. 1 overall pick missed a lot of games with lingering knee issues. They delayed his NBA debut and likely hastened his retirement.

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

“I’ve had a lot of injuries, and being out of the team or just rehabbing can be extremely tiring, but I think it can also be lonely,” he recalled. “I think that’s what people don’t realize.”

Before his devastating Achilles injury, Tatum had never missed many games — even before he was in the Association. So the 27-year-old was left shaken by the chilling moment which shocked both Celtic and their loyal fans.

“Why me, Dad?” Tatum asked his father following a season-ending injury, according to ESPN’s Mark J. Spears. “Why does this have to happen to me?”

What advice did Blake Griffin share with Jayson Tatum?

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

“One thing I talked to him about is whenever I get hurt, I give myself 24 hours to feel sorry for myself and say, ‘This is bullshit. Like, I can’t believe this is happening,'” Griffin revealed. “Then after that, there’s no more self-pity. You just put your head down and 100 percent of your mental and physical, and whatever other energy you want to call it, it gets better.”

Tatum was clearly listening to his former vet, as he was at the Auerbach Center (in Boston) almost every day trying to recover — without any complaints.

“It looks like from the videos I’ve seen and just talked to him, he had an amazing view on it,” Griffin boasted. “And that also translates physically, he looks great already at this point in this phase of his rehab.”

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

Jayson Tatum gets some snaps: pic.twitter.com/UJIzHar6iC

— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) December 10, 2025

Almost everyone around Tatum, whether it’s his current teammates or coaches, has made it clear that he’s progressing well. Griffin agrees, but doesn’t want to get lost in that feeling because it’s a long road back that usually presents a few more unexpected obstacles.

“We talked a lot, and my message to him was like, ‘Man, it sounds cliché, but it’s really one day at a time,'” Tatum said. “And you just can’t go too high or too low with how you feel. Because one day you’re going to try a new exercise and rehab and you’re going to feel great. You’re going to be like, ‘Oh man, yeah, I took a step today.’ And then the next day you’re in pain and you can’t do the same exercise, or whatever it is. So, just such an even-keeled attitude when it comes to rehabilitation.”

Tatum seems to have taken this advice to heart as well. He was literally counting down the days since his injury and used it as motivation:

6 months

—Attantum (@UTUTATTICUMICA). October 28, 2025

Does Blake Griffin think Jayson Tatum should play this season?

Still, it remains the most popular question in Boston. Can Tatum come back and play this season?

Griffin declined to say definitively when Tatum should or should not return to the game. However, he highlighted the potential benefits of a longer recovery process.

“There’s a lot of information out there about Achilles and all other types of injuries, but particularly Achilles injuries, where the longer you wait – like, yes, you might be able to play within 10 months,” he said. “But does 16 months give you a much better chance of not getting hurt and not hurting something else? And I think the data on that is very clear. As good as it is, as fun as the Celtics have been to watch this season, as much as they’ve been, I don’t know that if I were to advise him — I don’t know that I’d be like, ‘Yeah, you got 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 much higher than most people would rank the undermanned Cs through 25 games.

Inserting Tatum into a talented starting lineup that has already shown a lot of growth this season is tempting for Boston. The Celtics guy has implied that he wanted to appear in court again as soon as possibleso a return at the beginning of 2026 cannot be completely ruled out.

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

Obviously, Griffin doesn’t want Tatum’s career to be derailed by injuries. And given what Griffin has been through during his time in the NBA, it’s easy to see why he might take a more cautious view of injury timelines.

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

The future Hall of Famer clarified that it’s not up to him to truly judge Tatum’s decision, a sentiment shared by Celtics head coach Joe Mazzula. Griffin has seen Tatum’s work ethic and hunger firsthand, and has faith in him to be ready whenever he decides to don the green and white again.

“I’m not in the weight room every day,” Griffin stressed. “I’m not in the training room every day. I don’t know exactly where he is, so it’s really just a question for him to answer.”