LOS ANGELES — Ron Harper Jr. participated in the Maine Celtics’ scrimmage at the Auerbach Center last week that Jayson Tatum participated in parts of, the first noted progression by the Boston Celtics in his rehab from an Achilles tear in May. While Tatum and Joe Mazzulla didn’t share many details about his participation in the days after, which led up to the All-Star break, Harper traveled to LA to take part in the Rising Stars tournament and the Shooting Stars competition.
There, Harper shared some details of the scrimmage and that he participated in it despite spending recent weeks with Boston around their trade deadline activity. Hugo González and Amari Williams also practiced with Maine, who traveled from Portland to the Auerbach Center in Boston for the session.
“The guys from Maine came down, shoutout to them. They made the trip after a long road trip to Sioux Falls and Iowa,” Harper Jr. told CLNS Media inside the Intuit Dome on Friday. “It just shows the testament of everybody in the Celtics organization. We’re all one team pushing for a common goal.”
“We were able to get some stuff in, a lot of good work,” he said. “I feel like it was a good day and everybody felt good about it … he’s a fantastic player, so just him being out there, the presence that he brings to the court is amazing. Like I said, the way he pushes himself, the way he’s relentless with his work, you can tell he really wants it. That’s a guy that’s been on the sideline the whole year, just being able to watch that, being able to watch that dedication, it’s inspiring for the whole locker room.”
Shams Charania reported last Sunday that Tatum began 5-on-5 work with coaches only one day before Tatum’s progression to playing live with González, Williams, Harper and the rest of Maine’s roster. He reached the nine month mark in his recovery over the All-Star break, with the events in Los Angeles featuring much discussion about his potential return. Kevin Durant expected to see the same Tatum as before whenever he returns while Damian Lillard explained that he’s in the phase where he’s placing his Achilles under maximum stress to test it. Lillard tore his Achilles roughly one month prior to Tatum, and decided he would sit out the 2025-26 season.
Tatum tried to attempt a comeback this year despite the regular season ending less than 12 months since he underwent surgery. Advances in that procedure allowed hope for one of the fastest returns from the injury that the league has seen, with basketball players typically needing one year to return to their prior form. Tatum resembled that in the scrimmages that aimed to test his conditioning.
“I tried to guard him. If I’m able to go out there and get half a stop, it’s a success,” Harper told CLNS. “So just being able to be there, being able to be part of the group that pushes him was great … we’re just pushing the pace, running fast and just trying to get up-and-down as fast as we can. I feel like we did a good job of that.”
The Maine Celtics similarly assisted in the final stages of Kristaps Porziņģis’ recovery from offseason ankle surgery last November. After practicing with them in Boston on Nov. 18, he returned to game action with the Boston Celtics on Nov. 25. Former Celtic Phil Pressey coached Maine to a 13-9 record in the first half behind Harper, Williams, two-way rookie Max Shulga and several Celtics training camp invites like Jalen Bridges.
Harper and the team took a photo with Tatum after before attending a dinner, marking Harper’s first meeting with his teammates in several weeks after helping fill a depth role with Boston in the stretch entering the deadline. He’s a strong candidate to receive a standard contract with the Celtics needing to fill two roster spots at least temporarily by Thursday, and later for the rest of the season. Harper, who spent training camp with Boston in 2024-25 too, tried to ask Tatum as many questions as possible earlier this season, and could soon become his teammate.
Harper, his brother Dylan Harper and father Ron Harper participated in the Shooting Stars competition at the NBA All Star Game. Ron also played in the Rising Stars tournament, grabbing seven rebounds for the G-League team while shooting 0-for-5 in a 40-34 loss to Dylan, who hit the game-winning shot over him.
“How many times does a guy get to guard Jayson Tatum? The guys in Maine were real excited for the opportunity and I feel like they took it and ran with it,” Harper said. “A couple of those guys went in there and they played really well and I feel like put themselves in a good position for the rest of the season.”
“Anytime you get the chance to share a court with a guy like Jayson Tatum and be a part of his recovery process, it’s an honor. So just going out there and doing what I need to do to help get him better, to help get him ready. JT looked great and I’m sure he’s gonna keep progressing in his rehab, whatever that looks like, time will tell, but he’s looking good.”
