The Boston Celtics are better than expected, and Jayson Tatum is pushing to return from his Achilles surgery. He keeps showing off his progress in workout videos. The Celtics surprisingly sit second in the Eastern Conference, and things are wide open. The pressure to bring Tatum back increases every game. It feels like a when-not-if situation, but that is part of the problem.
Tatum tore his Achilles tendon in the playoffs and immediately had surgery. The potentially career-altering injury usually takes nearly a year to recover from. Tatum was back on the court in four months, and the workouts have only progressed from there. The Celtics superstar sees a wide-open East and wants to seize it, but the Celtics have to be the voice of reason.
Tatum’s competitiveness makes him great. Of course, he wants to play and lead the Celtics. It is on the organization to keep him out until he’s fully healthy. They can’t let the pressure or noise dictate this situation. Fans see Tatum’s workouts and think he’s ready right now. Clearly, he is not. There is already plenty of chatter, and it will only get louder as the playoffs get closer.
Celtics have a Jayson Tatum problem that keeps getting worse
There is no simple solution here. Kobe Bryant returned from his Achilles surgery in eight months, but he played in just six games before a knee injury ended his season. Was the legend’s second injury related to coming back from his surgery so soon?
The Celtics can’t afford a second devastating injury here. Tatum is 27 years old and right in the middle of his prime. He has already led Boston to a championship, two NBA Finals, and five conference finals in eight years. With Tatum, they always have a shot, but that is only the case when he plays like a superstar.
Jaylen Brown has helped turn up the heat here. Boston is 27-16 and 1.5 games ahead of the on paper favorite Knicks. The Pistons are the only team with a better record in the East, and they haven’t had any playoff success in the Cade Cunningham era. The Celtics would be the favorites to take the conference with a healthy Tatum.
Boston doesn’t want to waste a year, especially with Tatum and Brown in the middle of their primes, but they can’t risk JT injuring something else because he wasn’t ready. This is where the problem exists and keeps getting worse. The more time that passes with the Celtics near the top of the standings, the more pressure there is to bring Tatum back and chase a championship.
Jayson Tatum’s legendary competitiveness is part of the equation. He wants to return quickly like his idol Kobe did. Tatum is determined to prove that an elite athlete can do it and play at the top of his game. The Celtics cannot be singularly focused on the now. They must weigh the long-term risk and decide accordingly.
The problem doesn’t go away with Tatum’s return. The Celtics will have to bring him along slowly, which is increasingly difficult as the games start to matter more. They can’t risk overtaxing him just months after Achilles surgery. The smart decision is sitting him out for the entire season, but Tatum doesn’t want that.
The Boston Celtics have a Jayson Tatum problem that keeps getting worse. He wants to play, and the organization is trying to be smart. They need their superstar fully healed and ready to help them chase championships over the next decade.
The Celtics want another ring and need Tatum to get it. The difficult decisions on the best way to get there and keep the star happy keep building. There is no simple solution. Boston has to keep making the hard choices and live with the consequences. Things will only get better when Tatum returns and stays healthy for months. To get there, all the Celtics can do is their best daily. Easier said than done, but fans hope it all works out in the end.