Former Duke star Jayson Tatum set for return from Achilles injury

298 days ago, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles tendon while playing against the New York Knicks.

Tonight, the NBA Champion and former Duke Blue Devil is set to make his return, less than 11 months after initially sustaining the injury.

On Friday, March 6, the Celtics' final injury report ahead of their matchup against the Dallas Mavericks (yes, the team with nearly a half dozen former Blue Devils) listed Tatum as "available," upgrading the star forward from questionable.

Jayson Tatum available for Celtic vs. Mavs

No, Tatum's return isn't the quickest recovery from an Achilles tear in NBA history. That record belongs to none other than Kobe Bryant. However, his recovery has been shockingly quick, taking nearly half the time that Kevin Durant took to return and about 120 days less than Klay Thompson needed.

When he suffered the initial tear, Tatum had averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.1 steals through 72 games. Not to mention, Tatum and the Celtics were less than a year removed from their NBA Championship-winning season when the forward went down against New York.

After his career at Duke, Tatum went on to become the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Since then, he has become an NBA Champion, a six-time NBA All-Star, and a two-time Olympic Gold medalist.

He was named as the All-Star Game MVP in 2023, has been named a four-time All-NBA first-team member, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie first team in 2018.

Tonight, Boston and Dallas are scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. ET, and the game will be aired on ESPN. While Tatum might not start and likely won't clock many minutes, it is a massive update for the Celtics, and Blue Devil fans can certainly feel their excitement as well.