On Thursday, Shams Charania stated on The Pat McAfee Show that Jayson Tatum "wants to play" in the upcoming season. For Boston Celtics fans, that's obviously thrilling news to hear. But I think we have to consider the full ramifications of what returning early might mean for Tatum before we're all in on the idea.
We're all aware of the fact that Tatum suffered his Achilles injury five months ago during the Celtics' Eastern Conference semifinal match up with the New York Knicks in May. Typically, Achilles injuries are among the most devastating any athlete can incur. A typical recovery timeline for this ailment is usually going to stretch anywhere between nine to 12 months, and that's if the recovery plan is progressing exceptionally well.
Given this timeline, it would seem that pushing for return in the upcoming season would be a bit overly optimistic. Obviously, Celtics fans want to see Jayson back on the hardwood and getting back into his rhythm sooner rather than later. However, I believe rushing his return and coming back this season would ultimately be a mistake.
Tatum wants to play at some point during the 2025-26 season
Injuries are a tricky thing in the NBA. Taking more time off is never an inherently positive thing. The more time away from the floor you take, the longer it's going to take you to get back to playing competitive five on five at a high level against other NBA players. However, rushing your recovery is undoubtedly worse than taking too much time off.
We all also know that Tatum has always been a big fan of Kobe Bryant. And if we look at the history, Bryant also don't with an Achilles injury back in 2013. After just 240 days away from the court, Kobe made his return for the Lakers. Unfortunately, he only played six games before fracturing his left knee.
That shows the kind of potential risk that comes with getting yourself back on the floor before you're truly ready. Now, if this were a situation where the Celtics were still primed to be a top seed in the Eastern Conference and be in the mix to win an NBA championship, I would more so understand Tatum's desire to return as quickly as he can. But given that Boston's depth has been depleted and there's a lot of question marks around this team besides just his absence, this mentality from Jayson becomes all the more concerning.
I understand that sometimes these top-tier talents feel the kind of confidence in themselves where they feel like they can progress quickly and be back to competing faster than expected. With that being said, I think we can all agree trying to rush back in this case would be a poor choice. We all want to see Tatum have a long and prosperous career, and taking this kind of risk could backfire in a big way.