When Jayson Tatum went down with an Achilles injury last season, things were looking dire. An injury with that long a recovery timeline looked like it was going to set the Boston Celtics back at least one year, but in a season that has been full of surprises for one of the best teams in the East, Tatum might now return in the biggest tweet of the season. It all might be owed to Kobe Bryant.

“That started really the morning after [Tatum] was injured at Madison Square Garden,” ESPN insider Ramona Shelburne explained during a segment on NBA Today. “He had surgery before swelling could set in, which basically put his timeline a month ahead of schedule from what a typical Achilles tendon repair would be.”

That detail matters more than what fans might have realized at the time. In most cases of Achilles injuries, doctors wait for the swelling around the tendon to go down before they start operating, which can push surgery back several days, sometimes even weeks.

Tatum went through the procedure less than 24 hours after his injury against the New York Knicks. This enabled him to start rehabilitating the injury earlier than usual, which shaved off extremely valuable time in what is, on average, one of the longest recoveries in the sport.

“You know where he learned that from?” Shelburne said. “His idol, Kobe Bryant, who did the same thing when he tore his Achilles about a decade ago.”

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Back in the 2013, Bryant suffered an Achilles injury of his own late in the season when the team was making a playoff push. He came back from the injury the next season, but just nine months removed from it, falling in line with an estimated 6-9 month recovery period from doctors.

With Tatum having embraced his idol’s method, his return is now within sight.

Jayson Tatum Eyes Early Return For Boston Celtics This Week, Reports Say

As of today, Jayson Tatum is being listed ‘questionable’ on the Celtics’ injury report, with multiple reports suggesting that he could debut as early as tomorrow against the Dallas Mavericks. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the forward is “ready to go,” and will let the team know about his final decision before the game.

Tatum is making his return about 9 months after the injury, and the Celtics are likely to be cautious with their star. Expect him to play on a minutes restriction as he ramps back up to form, especially with the team staying afloat even without him.

However, a big concern looms over him too; Kobe Bryant, upon making a historically quick turnaround from the Achilles injury, ended up fracturing his left tibial plateau due to overexertion, something that is a real concern for Tatum at this early stage of return.

For now, the focus for Tatum and the Celtics should be getting him right and slowly ramping back up to proper shape.