BOSTON — Dominique Wilkins’ first reaction when Jayson Tatum was lying on the court, writhing in pain, from a noncontact injury, he knew what had happened.
“He ruptured his Achilles,” said the Basketball Hall of Famer. “I felt for him. He was having a hell of a game. I know what he was feeling, laying there.”
Wilkins next reaction, seconds later?
“He will be back to the player he was,” said Wilkins. “I know about Jayson Tatum’s work ethic, his love of the game. He will do whatever it takes, trust me.”
Wilkins has experience in both instances.
Like Tatum, Wilkins was still in his prime, having just turned 32 two weeks earlier, when while “just jogging up the floor” in a late January game in Atlanta against the Sixers, tore his Achilles tendon in half.
“He didn’t really do anything, just like me,” said Wilkins. “I was devastated, just like we saw Jayson was on the court.”
Like Tatum’s relentless desire to be great, just like Wilkins, will be the key factor in his future impact after the devastating injury.
“I was a little older, but people were saying I was all done, at my age,” said Wilkins. “A star player had never suffered that injury and came back. That stuck with me. I was going to prove everyone wrong.”
Tatum, who turned 27 two months ago, may not hear those same whispers about his future, but his reported work ethic will have more to do with his recovery than a doctor’s prognosis.
“I worked out twice a day, every day,” recalled Wilkins. “Most stars my age that suffered the same injury were not the same. That’s what drove me. Jayson’s passion to be great will help him in his rehab. I know him. He will not take a day off.”
Wilkins was back on the court, starting less than 10 months later, in the Atlanta Hawks opener in November of 1992.
He scored 30 points that opening night.
In fact, over the 71 games he played he averaged 29.9 points, unheard of for athletes suffering the same injury.
“The process was slow at the beginning,” recalled Wilkins. “I started with a half-pound weight and I could barely lift it. Then it was one pound, then two pounds … and I got stronger every day.”
Wilkins said a range-of-motion machine, Elgin Archxerciser, was a big help early on, as well.
The most work, once he could walk on his surgically repaired ankle was done in a pool.
“I did a lot of water therapy,” said Wilkins, every day. “And I would do some easy stretching; then as time went on more intense stretching.”
There was a mental aspect, too, which he was warned about.
“I was running and playing like myself most of the time, but there were times I was favoring it, and that led to a few minor issues,” said Wilkins.
“I remember there was a point later in my first season back, that I fell hard on the floor and grabbed my ankle,” he recalled. “I wasn’t hurt. It was just a natural reaction. At that point I said, ‘The hell with it. I’m just going to be myself. If it ruptures again, then it will happen.’ That’s when I was officially became my old self.”
The Hawks lost in the opening round, best of three series to the Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, 2-1. Wilkins averaged 30 points in the three games.
He was named to the All-Star team and finished fifth in the MVP voting. The following season he was traded to the Clippers mid-season, averaging 26.0 points and was named third team All-NBA.
Wilkins ended up playing until he was 39, including one season with the Boston Celtics.
Wilkins said his Achilles injury was not out of the blue. There were times the previous two seasons his Achilles was sore. In fact, when the injury happened he had what he termed a “knot” in the back of the tendon.
“I’m guessing Jayson probably had points over the last year where it was a little sore back there,” said Wilkins. “There are warning signs. But players play, especially the great ones.”
Wilkins said Tatum reminds him of himself, and even Kobe Bryant, who suffered the same injury at age 35.
“Kobe was near the end, so his case was different,” said Wilkins. “But I talked to him about the rehab. I talked to other guys, too, like Kevin Durant, Boogie Cousins and Rudy Gay. If you love the game and dedicate yourself to get back, it will happen. I have no doubt Jayson Tatum will be back better than ever.”