Celtics' key to Jayson Tatum eventual return is more obvious than most think

Each update on Jayson Tatum is increasingly encouraging. He is documenting his road to recovery, sharing videos of his on-court workouts that act as progress reports.

At times, when reporters, such as yours truly, descend to the courts at the Auerbach Center after the Boston Celtics have concluded practice, Tatum is locked in on those workouts, offering a glimpse into everything from calesthetics to basketball activities.

What's evident is that from here on out, the talk of when the six-time All-Star will make his season debut will only grow louder.

"It's all up to him," said Joe Mazzulla on the heels of Wednesday's practice. "At the end of the day, his health is the most important thing. His process is the most important thing. You trust him, trust the team that's around him -- he's got a great team -- and you just kind of go from there. So, kind of just all starts about where he and his team think he's at."

Reintegrating Jayson Tatum into the Celtics' lineup

Boston has surged up the standings. The Celtics have ascended to third in the Eastern Conference. They've done so with a new approach at both ends of the floor.

Tailoring their playing style to maximize their personnel changes, Joe Mazzulla's club has dialed up the aggressiveness on defense. They'll swipe at ball-handlers and swarm them on drives, searching for steals. Having the rock in your hands with your back turned to a Boston defender sends a signal to hunt a turnover.

Offensively, they've gone from ranking last in average speed to operating more up-tempo, per NBA.com. A part of that stems from generating more transition opportunities. However, the Celtics are also more inclined to push the pace after an opponent scores.

How they reintegrate Tatum into the lineup will be fascinating. It's a topic Payton Pritchard addressed after Wednesday's practice.

"If he comes back, and if he comes back healthy and ready to play, we know how to play with him," voiced Pritchard. "It's not like we're bringing him in to guys he's never played with. So it'll be an easy transition. But right now, we're just focusing on the guys that are playing right now, getting better and putting ourselves in the best position possible."

As Tatum works his way back and the surrounding noise regarding his return reaches a higher decibel level, his head coach is focused on the star wing remaining part of this team while he rehabs.

"The only thing that I care about is his presence and his leadership, and he's doing that in different ways: On the bench in games, communicating to guys, in film sessions, traveling with us," said Mazzulla.

"At the end of the day, he's on our team, he's a part of our team, he's helping us get better, and then everything else comes down to him and the people around him, and you trust that."