The Boston Celtics saw their four-game winning streak end Sunday night with a 102-92 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at TD Garden, and Jayson Tatum spoke candidly afterward about the team’s struggles and his ongoing return from injury.
Minnesota relied on defensive pressure and physical play to disrupt Boston’s offense, a theme Tatum acknowledged immediately after the game.
“They just picked up the pressure, physicality, forced some turnovers, especially in that second quarter,” Tatum said. “We got to take care of the ball a little bit better.”
Boston shot just 36% from the field and 9-for-33 from three-point range, numbers that reflected how difficult it was for the Celtics to establish their usual offensive rhythm.
The forward finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds but did not score in the first half before erupting for 13 points in the third quarter.
Tatum said he is still adjusting as he works his way back after Achilles surgery.
“I’m still just trying to figure it out,” Tatum said. “It’s been a long time. It’s only my eighth game, ninth game, so still just trying to get a feel for it.”
The 28-year-old rejected the idea that his recent shooting struggles are simply a typical slump.
“I wouldn’t say normal slump because that’s the first time I went through something like this,” Tatum said. “It just been a long time. It was a long time before I could shoot a basketball, walk.”
Tatum explained that he is evaluating progress through small moments during games.
“For me it’s mental,” Tatum said. “It’s a lot of things I talked to Nick about… certain plays, certain moments of contact, certain things of explosion.”
He said specific plays help him recognize when his body feels closer to normal.
“Things of attacking, getting downhill,” Tatum said. “The pace and speed of certain plays that felt really normal or I didn’t think about it at all.”
Those flashes are what he is searching for as he regains rhythm.
“Just finding more and more moments of those from game to game that get me really excited,” Tatum said.
The Celtics briefly surged after halftime, opening the third quarter with an 11-0 run behind Tatum’s scoring burst.
Still, the forward admitted frustration is inevitable during the process.
“In the moment, it’s frustrating,” Tatum said. “You just want to be Jayson Tatum and feel like yourself again.”
Tatum said he expected the recovery process to be difficult.
“I know how this was going to be,” he said. “I’m not Superman, so it’s obviously going to take some time.”
The Celtics star emphasized that patience is required after returning from one of basketball’s most challenging injuries.
“I have probably the worst injury you could have and I came back in 10 months,” Tatum said. “I wanted to be perfect and first-team All-NBA Jayson like that, but it’s going to take time.”
He also described how support from family, teammates, and others around the league has helped him through the recovery.
“It’s a group of people,” Tatum said. “My medical team, my mom, Deuce, and I talk to everybody.”
That network includes players who have experienced similar recoveries.
“Guys that’s in the league, guys that’s retired,” Tatum said. “It’s a lot of people.”
Despite the slow start to his return, Tatum said he remains focused on steady improvement.
“I didn’t rush the rehab process, so I can’t rush this,” Tatum said. “It’s all going to work out.”
