Jayson Tatum took another meaningful step forward this week, and in typical fashion, he did it without changing the tone the Celtics (34-19) have carefully set around his recovery.

On Monday, Tatum practiced with the Maine Celtics for the first time since tearing his Achilles in May, logging live reps in a controlled setting.

One day later, he was back on the floor at the Auerbach Center, joining the Boston Celtics for practice and then speaking publicly for the first time since media day in late September.

It’s a notable milestone, even with Tatum going out of his way to cool expectations.

“Over 39 weeks, you have a lot of time on your hands,” Tatum said in the press scrum. “You think about a lot of things, and you’re just hyper-aware of what’s going on. And I think it would just stem from that. Obviously, I know what I bring to the table and bring to the team, but I’m also aware that these guys have been playing extremely well. And not to say that I would come and mess it up or anything like that. It was just kind of being vulnerable, I guess, for a moment, and talking from that perspective.”

That vulnerability tracks with everything Boston has communicated for months. The Celtics are tied for the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, and have shown no signs of desperation - even as their franchise player continues a lengthy rehab after undergoing surgery on his Achilles only hours after the injury occurred in New York City.

“Today is 39 weeks [since the injury], so it's been a long journey,” said Tatum. “It's just the progression of rehab, and [practicing] is just the next step. It doesn't mean that I'm coming back or not. We're just following the plan. So, it's just another step.”

Tatum reiterated that message multiple times, declining to put a timeline - or even a percentage - on his recovery.

“I just know I feel a little better every day,” he said. “I’m still trying to figure it out. Still just going through the progressions of rehab. I'm not saying that I'm coming back or I'm not. It's all about being 100% healthy and just going through the plan of this protocol.”

From the Celtics’ perspective, that approach makes perfect sense.

Jaylen Brown is playing at an All-NBA level, Derrick White continues to anchor both ends of the floor, and Payton Pritchard has thrived in an expanded role. The frontcourt has been stabilized with the addition of Nikola Vucevic, allowing Boston to keep stacking wins without asking Tatum to be anything resembling a savior.

And yet, Tatum has never drifted from the group.

“These are like my brothers,” said Tatum. “I know I’m injured and not playing, but I’d like to think I’m still very much part of the team. When you’re out and injured you can feel isolated because you’re not playing. So just being around, encouraging them and being around as much as possible is good for me and my spirits.”

Whether Tatum returns this season or not remains unanswered.

What is clear, though, is that the Celtics are operating from a position of strength - and Tatum’s steady progress only reinforces that this is a situation built on patience, not pressure.

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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.