When it comes to a possible return for Jayson Tatum this season, there are factors to consider. The physical element of coming back after tearing an achilles is obvious, but we can’t discount the mental element either. Tatum hasn’t played in a game since last May. There’s going to be a level of comfort and trust he needs to gain in his body for this to work.
But if Tatum does feel physically ready, the mental part of the return will be a huge factor regardless of when it happens. As Bill Simmons pointed out on his Sunday night podcast with Zach Lowe, if he’s ready physically, which seems to be imminent, then why not come back and deal with the mental part now?
Everyone is expecting rust and an adjustment period from JT, so why not get it out of the way now? These March and April regular-season games can be brutal anyway, and ultimately, if he is back, the Celtics’ place in the standings won’t be a huge deal.
In other words, now is the perfect time to get through his growing pains. It’s not like the mental hurdles will go away if Tatum waits to come back until next season, and if anything, that will just give him an extra eight months to overthink everything.
March and April the best time for Tatum to shed rust and mental hurdles
So, assuming he’s fully physically cleared, of course, let’s just go through that part of the process now. Even if it doesn’t look great, and the Celtics don’t make a deep playoff run, if it means that JT can hit the ground running this offseason and come back for next season looking like his All-NBA self, it will have been well worth it.
Realistically, as fun as this team has been, it’s not going to win a championship without some contribution from Tatum anyway. Furthermore, even if he’s a shell of his old self, he’s too smart a player to hurt the team. Tatum is as adaptable as any superstar in the NBA, and if he can’t be what he was right away, he’ll find other ways to impact the game. He’s too good not to.
So, I don’t buy any argument about him coming in and ruining chemistry or having trouble fitting in. I don’t buy any argument about mental hurdles getting easier or going away by waiting. And I don’t buy that getting the rust off next season would be better than the end of this one.
Again, he obviously still needs to be cleared to play, and I completely understand tempering expectations. But if he’s ready to go this season, there’s no reason not to get him out there.