298 days later, the legendary durability king returns in full force.

Even though we heard days ago that Tatum would make his comeback today, seeing him officially wearing the Celtics jersey on the court still feels surreal. It has only been 298 days since his Achilles tendon rupture, and he is already back on the field.

In fact, Tatum began intensive training early this season, with a recovery speed that is astonishingly fast—it’s hard not to marvel at how rapidly modern medical technology has advanced. In this process, Tatum also had a great deal of luck.

During last year’s playoffs, he suffered an injury at Madison Square Garden and underwent Achilles repair surgery within 24 hours. Being in New York at the time, the most authoritative doctor in the field across the United States was also in New York—everything aligned perfectly.

After the surgery, Tatum removed his cast in just 15 days, stood up again for the first time in 45 days, returned to the court in 133 days, performed his first dunk in 154 days, and officially made his comeback in 298 days. He dedicated six days a week to rehabilitation, all for today’s full-strength return.

Physically, Tatum is undoubtedly 100% recovered, but mentally, he still needs an adjustment period. Naturally, he felt nervous at the start—his first touch of the ball, first full-speed run, first shot, first jump—Tatum needs to rebuild his confidence on this court.

His first six attempts all missed; he was constantly calibrating his aim, even missing an open layup after a drive, clearly lacking the jump height and hitting the rim. This was expected by fans; no one anticipated Tatum would score immediately upon stepping onto the court.

Despite missing shots, Tatum’s presence on the court was strong. Rather than waiting for teammates to adjust to his debut, he actively sought to integrate into this new team. Early on, he continuously set up teammates for scores, fought for rebounds under the basket—before his first points, Tatum was still doing the gritty work.

Before the end of the second quarter, Tatum grabbed an offensive rebound and completed a put-back dunk, hanging on the rim for a while and deliberately landing with his left foot first upon descent. In the next play, Tatum hit a step-back three-pointer from the corner, eliciting the loudest cheer from the fans at TD Garden—with this three, Tatum announced his official return.

In the second half, Tatum’s form fully ignited, hitting three consecutive shots again. Starting with six misses, then connecting five hits—still showcasing star-level in-game adjustment ability. As Tatum regained his rhythm, the score gap widened.

Today, the Celtics faced the Mavericks, coincidentally the opponent from Tatum’s first championship. This was also Flag’s “home game”—Flag, raised in Maine, grew up as a Celtics fan. The Celtics won by 20 points; Tatum played 27 minutes, shooting 6/16 for 15 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, with a plus-minus of +20.

In the post-game interview, Tatum said: “This was an emotional day—the journey has been long and arduous. Many times I doubted myself, many nights I cried. But I kept pushing myself daily, doing everything I could to move forward.”

To outsiders, Tatum’s recovery seemed smooth, returning to the court in less than 300 days. But the hardships were only truly felt by him. So young, just after winning a championship, with a bright future ahead, yet a severe injury forced a pause.

Even though the recovery process went well, he naturally questioned himself—whether he could return to peak form, whether his career might decline from here. He loves competition so deeply; the hardest part is accepting that his performance might not be the same.

Before actually stepping onto the court, his heart endured constant torment; he shed tears, releasing pent-up emotions in unseen moments. He is the legendary durability king, yet he also has a tender side within.

Before today’s game, the Celtics gave attending fans a special T-shirt with “back to 0” printed on it. The number 0 represents Tatum’s jersey number and symbolizes a new beginning. Starting from zero, anywhere is possible.