The last time we saw Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum on a basketball court he had just ruptured his Achilles tendon in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Major surgery ensued and most basketball fans reasonably assumed we wouldn't see him until the 2026-27 season at the earliest.
But lo and behold: Tatum is back and may be on the court as early as tomorrow. According to ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania, Tatum will play this season and may even get minutes for the Celtics in Friday's game against the Dallas Mavericks.
"BREAKING: Boston Celtics All-NBA star Jayson Tatum will play this season and could make his debut on Friday against the Dallas Mavericks – less than 10 months after surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon," Charania wrote.
"There's an expectation that Jayson Tatum will make his 2025-26 season debut for the Boston Celtics on Friday night at TD Garden versus Dallas, sources tell ESPN. Tatum has been described as ready to go and will inform the Celtics of a final decision over the next day."
Welcome back
The timing of Tatum's return is immaculate. The Celtics are in a heated battle with the Detroit Pistons for the top seed in the East and currently find themselves four wins back with 20 games to play.
NBA fans are already expecting Tatum to go off in his return either this week or whenever he makes his return to the team.
"They’re gonna be insanely good. Celtics vs Thunder finals may feed generations," one user on X declared.
"Jayson Tatum is ACTUALLY the Anomaly. Coming back from an ACHILLES injury within TEN MONTHS of tearing it...like that is a SUPERHUMAN feat. TEN MONTHS," wrote another.
"Awesome news," a third declared.
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Prior to this year Tatum was a perennial All-Star, averaging over 27 points per game over five seasons and earned numerous honors. He helped the Celtics win the NBA title in 2024.
The Celtics were already really good this year in his absence. Having him back could turn them from a contender to a favorite.
