Celtics
Wilkins was a top-5 MVP candidate the season after he ruptured his Achilles’ tendon.
Dominique Wilkins doesn’t have to wonder whether a star NBA player can recover from a ruptured Achilles’ tendon and regain his status as a top-five MVP candidate.
He did it three decades ago while starring for the Atlanta Hawks. His injury occurred on January 28th 1992. He missed the remainder of the season, but quickly regained his form in 1993. He averaged 29.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists that season.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who finished fourth in this year’s MVP voting, suffered a similar injury at Madison Square Garden last month.
“That injury is a serious injury,” Wilkins told the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn. “And Jayson had the same type of injury I had, meaning he had a complete tear because there is no way you could walk off the floor. That’s a devastating injury, but the thing is the work he puts in is going to determine what he gets out of it.”
Wilkins is confident that Tatum will return to his top form after the rehab process because of his work ethic.
“I worked twice a day every day for nine months and came back quicker than anybody,” Wilkins said. “But it was my level of commitment and Jayson is a kid that loves the game and I have a lot of respect and am a fan of his. I have no doubt that he’s going to put in the work to get back to the same level he was.”
Wilkins said his 1993 return was the best all-around season of his career. His recovery process took 10 months, and he had to adapt his game. His leaping ability was part of what made him special. He had to develop his 3-point shot and become craftier as a scorer after the injury, he said.
“I thought I would lose something but I came back a better and more all-around player,” he said. “That was because of the work I put in and I wanted to prove all the doubters wrong. I learned how to play the game more on the ground. When you have an injury like that, it forces you to go to other aspects of the game to be as effective. I put other things in my game so one guy still wasn’t going to guard me.”
The fear of aggravating the injury is something that Tatum will have to work through, Wilkins said. After a lengthy rehab process, the prospect of getting hurt again can be scary.
Other star players have recovered from ruptured Achilles’ tendon injuries with varying levels of success.
Wilkins has one of the more promising recovery stories, and he was considerably older than Tatum when he made his comeback. Tatum turned 27 this past March. Wilkins was 33 during the 1993 season.
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