Brad Stevens Explains Celtics' Season-Altering Jayson Tatum Decision

Brad Stevens Explains Celtics' Season-Altering Jayson Tatum Decision originally appeared on NESN . Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Last May, Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon against the New York Knicks during the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Less than 10 months later, he was miraculously back on the court and playing at a high level, way ahead of schedule. The Celtics could have played it safe with Tatum and shut him down for the season. He worked hard to come back early, however, and the front office supported him every step of the way, ultimately activating him on March 6.

In a press conference on Tuesday , Boston's president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens, explained the organization's bold and somewhat risky decision to bring Tatum back early. "I just think what we said was always the case. Until he was 110 percent and met every threshold, had fully reconditioned and he felt good, we weren't even gonna entertain the thought of him coming back," Stevens told CLNS reporter Bobby Manning .

Asked Brad about the process of bringing Tatum back: “It became clear probably around the trade deadline, that early February time that he was in a pretty good spot physically … then it’s a matter of re-conditioning and getting your confidence back. ” pic. twitter.