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Jayson Tatum reveals how he enjoys the grind of his return to play

· Yahoo Sports

BOSTON — Boston Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum didn't try to play it cool after his season debut on March 6 against the Dallas Mavericks. He admitted he felt anxious. A little more than a week later, the six-time All-Star has eased into things.

It showed during the second half of a 111-100 win over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night. In the final two quarters, Tatum recorded 13 points (on 54.5% shooting) to go along with 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. He finished the double-digit victory with 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 assists in his second double-double since returning from an Achilles rupture.

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"I feel a lot more relaxed," Tatum said in the locker room following the home win. "I'm finding more and more moments each game where I'm feeling more confident, more explosive, whether it's driving or a closeout or reacting to something."

On Saturday, the most notable statistic for Tatum had nothing to do with points. Rather, he logged a season-high 32 minutes, coming back in the fourth quarter because the Celtics' 30-point lead had fallen below 20 with about 7 minutes remaining.

"The fourth quarter wasn't part of the plan," he revealed. "I knew my minutes would go up a little bit this week. And that's just kind of the progression...They go up a little bit for a week or so and you see how you respond. But obviously I've been responding really well and feeling great the next day and after the games."

Although the 28-year-old has made great progress in the wake of his devastating injury over 300 days ago, the NBA waits for no one. Players are trying to attack Tatum on offense and on defense, opponents are still being physical with him, regardless of health.

Tatum received a harsh reminder of that during a Tuesday night loss to the San Antonio Spurs. After Tatum blew by Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama for a layup, the 7-footer gave him a little shove.

Celtics fans across the world probably held their breath as Tatum hit the floor. Yet, he just smiled, giving away his true thoughts.

"When he pushed me, it knocked me off balance," he recalled. "But I laid there for a second and I was like, 'Alright, I'm fine.' And it's just moments like that where it's been a while since something like that has happened. So it is a good feeling of, 'Alright, I'm back.'"

With this perspective, Tatum has embraced the ugly parts of basketball again, as he realizes that being able to experience them is a privilege that hurt players don't have.

"You got to enjoy all aspects of coming back to play, not just the fun parts, like getting knocked on your (expletive) and falling is a part of being in the NBA," he stated.

Is it bizarre to be thankful after hitting the hardwood (against your will) with plenty of force? Maybe to some, but not for a basketball-obsessed Tatum, who once feared his Achilles tear would permanently separate him from the game he loves.

"I really was just kind of grateful," Tatum said following his debut last Friday night. "I had a real sense of gratitude of just being back on the floor, playing basketball."

The Celtics feel thankful, too. They're 3-1 with Tatum in the lineup this season and 44-23 overall heading into the final stretch of the regular season.

"He's doing all the things that impact winning," Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said in his postgame presser on Saturday. "So, I think that's more important than anything else."

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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Jayson Tatum is learning to love the struggle of playing in the NBA again

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