Tatum, Murray, and Durant showcase remarkable returns from Achilles injuries, sparking hope and new perspectives on recovery. Is this the new norm?
Jayson Tatum stepped back into his old role with Jaylen Brown missing both of Boston’s games. As the number one guy for the Celtics again, JT was looking like his old self.
He had a fourth quarter takeover against the Hawks on Friday, scoring 13 in the final period to secure a win. On Sunday, he followed that up with his best game since his return.
A look at the NBA Box Score shows him putting up season highs in multiple categories. From points and three pointers made to setting up his teammates, Tatum was doing it all. A weekend that must’ve felt good for him coming off of his Achilles injury.
Sunday night’s matchup in the Southwest Division gave us a chance to watch two more guys who suffered the same injury: Dejounte Murray of the New Orleans Pelicans and obviously Kevin Durant.
Murray tore his Achilles exactly 14 months ago, on January 31st of last year. His return has been really solid, as he’s started in all 13 games since getting back on the court this season.
His 27.8 minutes per game tell me that he’s feeling good and has confidence in that repair. While it’s his lowest since 2020, it’s still a lot of playing time and just below his career average of 29.3 minutes. His 17.3 points a night is impressively right on par with the 17.5 he put up before getting injured last year.
I think the whole NBA world is familiar with how well KD recovered from his Achilles injury. All the way back in 2019, Durant suffered that tragedy on the biggest stage in the basketball world, only to get cheered on by Raptors fans during the NBA Finals.
To be honest, we didn’t know what to expect. Everyone could look back and reference Dominique Wilkins, but it had been literal decades since we saw a success story like that.
Sure, Kobe came back and scored 60 in his “mic drop” game, but that wasn’t a common occurrence. That was an absolute legend giving us everything he had on his way out. But the Lakers weren’t a very competitive team at the end of his career.
The same hasn’t and can’t be said about Durant after his big injury. He’s still putting up 25+ in his sleep, and continues to do it more efficiently with 53/42/88 shooting splits. His teams have consistently been in the playoffs and it looks like he hasn’t missed a beat.
Is it finally time to have a little more faith in people recovering from Achilles injuries? Has the medical field advanced far enough for this to be the new norm? Tatum, Murray, and Durant certainly give me a lot of confidence. Even Damian Lillard came back and won the three point contest.