If you’ve followed the way the Celtics have handled Jayson Tatum’s recovery, none of what he said Saturday is going to feel all that different - steady, measured, and very clearly intentional about not getting ahead of anything.

Speaking before practice out in Los Angeles, Tatum wanted to clear up some of the photos floating around from San Francisco that made it look like he had jumped back into full team work.

That wasn’t the case.

He said he didn’t participate in an actual practice, just an optional workout alongside a few teammates, including Luka Garza, as he continues to ramp things up.

Head coach Joe Mazzulla kept the messaging consistent with what we’ve heard for weeks now when asked about where things stand.

“He’s just continuing to get better,” Mazzulla told the media in attendance. “Working on his reads and then continuing to hit his checkmarks in the weight room and then in the treatment room as well. The main goal is just making sure he gets 100% healthy and continues to get better and better.”

Mazzulla emphasized patience is still the guiding principle at play.

“It’s just trusting the group that we have around him,” said Mazzulla. “And taking it step-by-step. So, just making sure we stick to that as much as we can. He came out of the Maine practice pretty well, and so we’ll continue to see it from there. It just depends as he continues to hit those check marks, whatever they may be.”

That Maine session, of course, refers to Tatum getting work in with the Maine Celtics, which the Boston Celtics viewed as a positive step - but not one that suddenly accelerates the timeline. And if you were hoping for clarity on a return date, Tatum made it clear that’s still not part of the conversation, despite outside speculation tied to a potential March 1 game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

“Workout, see how you recover the next day and then you just make a plan from there,” Tatum told the media in attendance. “It was a little five-on-five [on Wednesday]. It’s tough to go into detail on every single thing I’m doing every day, but I will say I’m just getting acclimated more and doing little things with some of the guys out there, but it’s all part of rehab and just going with the plan.”

The overall tone from Tatum was pretty consistent with what we’ve heard throughout this process - progress is happening, but the focus is squarely on stacking good days rather than circling a date on the calendar.

He said he feels better than he did the day before, and right now, that’s enough.

He reiterated that the priority is putting himself in a position where a return can even be discussed, stressing again that he won’t play until he’s fully healthy.

Notably, he wouldn’t say what percentage he feels he’s at.

When the team arrived at Santa Barbara Prep, Tatum took some light shots before practice, dressed in team gear, going through a low-key routine before speaking with reporters.

And if you’re looking for the quote that probably best sums up where his head is at right now, this was it.

“I feel like I’m beating a dead horse,” said Tatum. “I’m taking it one day at a time. This is something that’s very serious. The injury that I had is just a long journey. For me, it’s just easier to take it one day at a time and see how I progress from there.”

Same message, different day - and until the Celtics say otherwise, that’s exactly how this is going to continue to sound.

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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.