Jayson Tatum just gave the entire world a painfully obvious message

Monday provided the latest glimpse into Jayson Tatum's road to recovery. It came after the Boston Celtics held shootaround ahead of their Martin Luther King Jr. Day matchup against the Detroit Pistons. When they wrapped up, Tatum took the floor for an extensive on-court workout at Seaholm High School.

One of the most encouraging aspects of watching his workout was how comfortable assistant coach Tony Dobbins was with defending him physically. And more importantly, how the six-time All-Star responded to it.

That included physical drives, punctuated with powerful jams.

The Celtics' title odds just went up

Whether one feels it's an overreaction or not, after clips from Tatum's on-court workout circulated online, Boston's title odds got a boost. FanDuel Sports Network raised the Celtics' championship prospects from +1800, tied with the Pistons, to +1600. The two previously shared the fifth-best odds.

While the five-time All-NBA selection relentlessly attacks his rehab, what Boston has established without him is that this team is capable of contending without him in the wide-open Eastern Conference.

The Celtics, who are second in the East, are generating the second-most points per 100 possessions, allowing the second-fewest points per game, and boast the second-highest net rating in the Association.

It's not fair to expect Tatum to immediately return to being a top-five player in the NBA. However, he can be far from that and still prove the most impactful in-season addition.

Celtics praise Jayson Tatum for remaining involved

As he works towards a return to the lineup, whenever that may be, the 27-year-old star has remained present and involved with the team throughout the season. Having him in the film room and as a resource teammates can go to during games has earned praise from them and his head coach.

"Everybody has different leadership responsibilities. Everybody leads in different ways. He's done a great job," said Joe Mazzulla in November. "Obviously, his ability to lead on the court has been taken away. He's done a great job leading off the court.

"One, with the work ethic of his recovery. But at the same time, the individual relationships that he's building, being on the bench, having those communications – whether it's in practice or in-game, that's been invaluable to the locker room."

Jaylen Brown conveyed, "He's been engaged. He's been on the majority of every flight. He's been to almost every film session. That level of dedication, you can tell, he's eager to get back. A lot of guys that know they've got an extended amount of time, they're going to separate themselves mentally for a little bit or whatever. He's been there. He's been like an extra coach, almost, in a sense."

After Monday's shootaround, Derrick White said about being able to go to Tatum on the sideline, "He knows the game. He knows the system. Even when you're struggling, he's there supporting you and picking you up, and having a guy like that around is always impactful."

Will Jayson Tatum return this season?

The Celtics aren't putting a timetable on when they'll have him back in the lineup. Perhaps that will have to wait until next season, or he'll only appear in a handful of games late in the current campaign.

However, seeing his progress has only made this author more bullish on the idea of him playing this season. Miami Heat guard Dru Smith did so in nine months. A similar timeline would mean Tatum's back in February.

Dr. Kevin R. Stone, an orthopedic surgeon at The Stone Clinic and a leading expert in Achilles tendon repair, believes that it is "definitely realistic."

As the St. Louis, Missouri, native works to turn that into a reality, Monday was the latest chance to see just how hard he's pushing himself. Tatum attacked the basket, launched one-legged threes, worked on his ball-handling as Dobbins was in his airspace and swiping at the ball, and he operated from all three levels.

"It's been amazing to see," said White. "All the work he's put in, and you just kind of see him being around more and being able to do more, so that's exciting to see as a friend. So, every day he's been working hard, and it's good to see all that hard work add to some more movement and more opportunities."

Perhaps it's only a month or two before those opportunities lead to Tatum rejoining the Celtics in time to help with their playoff push and the pursuit of banner 19.