BOSTON — Jayson Tatum continues to make strides towards a return, most recently practicing at the Auerbach Center with the Maine Celtics on Monday. According to Shams Charania, the practice included a five-on-five scrimmage. It’s obviously a huge step forward in his recovery and potential return, despite him being non-committal about if or when that would happen. 

But as Tatum said during his first press availability since media day, his next steps are all about “more conditioning, more live things, getting acclimated to playing five on five, and contact and stuff like that.” That means he’s in the ramp-up phase. Tatum is probably noncommittal because this part of the rehab can be tricky as he navigates soreness and how his body responds to a bigger workload. 

Meanwhile, Tatum will continue to participate in another difficult task for him, sitting and watching his teammates play games without him. 

“It’s been tough not being able to play and compete,” Tatum said on Tuesday afternoon. “You know how much I love this game and love being out there, but I’ve also grown an appreciation for the game and for my teammates.”

It’s an often-discussed silver lining to these kinds of injuries. Obviously, no one wants the injury to happen, but when they do, players are forced to sit and watch, seeing the game from a different perspective. 

“I sit next to the coaches during all the games,” Tatum said. “So I hear their commentary and see it through the lens of a coach.  I see it from that perspective a lot more than I would have ever seen it before.”

Seeing the NBA from a different perspective will certainly give him new ways to analyze his own game. But as much as he might be seeing from the sidelines, Tatum says he doesn’t want to blur the line between teammate and coach. 

“I speak up when I see something, and I also know what it’s like to be a player,” Tatum said. “As soon as you make a mistake, everybody’s telling you what you should’ve done. I’m not going to try to be an extra person doing all the yelling. Just little things here and there. But more importantly, just my presence and showing that I’m here and I’m encouraging them throughout this journey.”

Ultimately, this is why Tatum is at almost every game, even though a lot of players in his situation haven’t been. It’s the same reason why he felt comfortable expressing a little trepidation about being disruptive if he does return this season. Even though he’s not playing, he’s still a Celtic, and those are his teammates. He’s there for them, and in turn, they’re there for him, even if they don’t realize it.

“These are like my brothers,” Tatum said. “I know I’m injured and not playing, but I’d like to think I’m still very much part of the team. When you’re out and injured, you can feel isolated because you’re not playing, so just being around, encouraging them, and being around as much as possible is good for me and my spirits, just being around as much as I can.”