With opening night of the NBA season less than a month away, it would be natural for some Boston Celtics fans to not be looking ahead to a season without Jayson Tatum .

It turns out, Tatum appears to be doing everything in his power to keep that from happening.

Tatum, recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon in May during the Eastern Conference semifinals, had this to say on ESPN's First Take on Tuesday when asked what he thought about the Celtics' outlook and how his injury will give Jalen Brown a bigger opportunity to lead.

"First thing, I haven't said I'm not playing this season," Tatum said.

Typically, the timeline for returning from a ruptured Achilles would span most of, if not all, of a full season. The Celtics have documented Tatum's recovery, showing him in social media

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