In 2025, the NBA careers of Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum and Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton were forever changed. The two franchise players both suffered brutal Achilles injuries during the 2025 NBA Playoffs, and while Tatum was able to return to the court near the end of the 2025-26 campaign, Haliburton never suited up.
That will likely change when the 2026-27 regular season begins in October, as Haliburton has already been participating in basketball activities. In fact, he’s even shared the floor with Tatum this offseason. Haliburton and Tatum are clients of NBA trainer Drew Hanlen and the skills coach posted a photo of the three of them at work together:
Jayson Tatum, who already came back from an Achilles injury, is in the gym with Tyrese Haliburton, who’s on the road to recovery from an Achilles injury 🦾
(Via @DrewHanlen on IG) pic.twitter.com/HXu73TRNHa
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) July 20, 2026
Although Tatum’s Celtics swept Haliburton’s Pacers in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, it doesn’t seem like there’s any bad blood between the Eastern Conference rivals. They’ve competed against one another, joined forces on Team USA during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, and know what it’s like to go from the highs of being on top of the basketball world to the lows of suffering through a season-ending Achilles tear.
After Tatum and Haliburton went down in 2025, the two exchanged messages in a group chat comprised of other NBA players who’ve experienced Achilles injuries.
“The silver lining in the relationship I have with those guys is we all truly understand what each other is going through,” Tatum described last September. “The cool part is the brotherhood of the NBA and those conversations of truly rooting for one another and wanting each other to overcome what we are all dealing with.”
Tatum completed his herculean comeback last March and went on to average over 23 points per game in the playoffs. Haliburton has yet to reach that milestone, but it looks like Tatum is determined to get him there.
“I never want anybody to go through that injury,” Tatum said in April.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Jayson Tatum joins Tyrese Haliburton road to recovery on summer workout
