Jayson Tatum's master plan is working perfectly as Celtics approach playoffs

Jayson Tatum, in his 12th game since returning from an Achilles tear, logged his first triple-double of the season with 25 points, 18 rebounds, and 11 assists in Wednesday’s win over the Miami Heat.

The last four weeks have been all about progress for the Boston Celtics star, as he continues to return to performance. 

“I wish I had a definitive answer,” Tatum replied when asked how close he feels to the level he was at pre-injury. “You know, it sounds cliche, I feel a little bit better every game. I don't know how long it's gonna take to be back to who I was or hopefully better, but you know, the goal is just to continue to stack days.”

Jayson Tatum took a massive step forward this week

Tatum’s increasing comfort level through each of his dozen outings has been apparent thus far. Week by week, he’s looking more and more like himself.

Through his first week, he averaged 19.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game in three appearances on 39.3% from the field and 29.0% from beyond the arc. His stats saw a slight jump in week two, rising to 21.7, 10.3, and 4.3 respectively on 44.2/32.1 splits. There was some regression in week three with a respective 19.1, 9.2, and 3.7 on 39.4/32.5.

Tatum’s big leap came in week four.

His numbers shot up to 27.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game on 42.6% from the field and 35.5% from deep. It’s only a three-game sample size, but those stats are better than his season-long All-NBA output last year. 

He also shot more free throws (6.3) per game

The caveat is that two of said appearances came without Jaylen Brown, who missed a pair of games due to Achilles tendinitis.

With that being said, the two combined for 68 points in Miami the other day. Tatum logged the aforementioned triple-double, while Brown poured in 43. The numbers can and will come when both are on the court.

This final slate of games should be a nice final test for Tatum ahead of the playoffs

With just six regular-season games remaining, Tatum looks to be approaching his top gear just in time for the playoffs. The way his production has increased with time, as expected, proves that his and the Celtics’ training staff handled his return to action perfectly. There was always going to be an in-game ramp up, and it now seems they’ve managed to get it out of the way before the games start to count.

This upcoming week of games should make for an interesting readiness watch. Boston will face-off against potential first-round opponents in the Toronto Raptors, Charlotte Hornets, and Orlando Magic (albeit on the final day of the season). Plus, they’ll see the New York Knicks on April 9 in a matchup that could seal the second seed for Boston.

Though it feels like the Celtics’ seeding is mostly decided, they’ll get great efforts from four teams who are still largely battling for their spot -- a great trial run for Tatum ahead of the postseason.