For the first time since 2019, Jayson Tatum didn’t play in the All-Star Game(s?) on Sunday, but he still managed to steal the show. During the NBC broadcast, it was announced that they would be airing a five-part mini docuseries on Tatum and his recovery process, titled ‘The Quiet Work’, which they teased with a short trailer.
Tatum posted the trailer on his social media accounts shortly after the announcement as well, and the Celtics’ official account replied with eyeballs and hourglass emojis. I’m not exactly a conspiracy theorist or anything, but the timing here is certainly pretty interesting.
This comes just days after the Maine Celtics were brought to Boston to practice and scrimmage 5-on-5 with Tatum, as it appears he’s checking some of the final boxes in his return to play. Now, to announce a five-part docuseries detailing his comeback feels like a pretty big indication that he’s on the verge of a comeback.
Tatum's docuseries could foreshadow season debut for Celtics
NBC could stretch this series out for as long as five weeks, or as short as a few. It’s noteworthy that the Celtics play on NBC or Peacock next Sunday on the road against the Lakers, Sunday, March 1st against the 76ers, Monday, March 16th against the Suns, and Sunday, March 22nd against the Timberwolves.
I’m not saying that a target date for a return has been established, or that NBC or this docuseries would play any part in determining when a potential season debut for Tatum may occur. But I could certainly see the beauty in this series leading up to his return on national television.
It’s also hard to ignore the fact that on Friday, it was announced that the March 1st home game against the Sixers will be moved from 6 PM to 8 PM, and will now be broadcast on NBC and Peacock. Talk about eyeball emojis!
That would be exactly two weeks from this docu-series announcement, and it would be the fourth NBC/Peacock broadcast from then. It would also mark exactly 20 days from his practice with the Maine Celtics. Based on every report we’ve gotten, that certainly seems like a pretty reasonable timeframe.
Maybe this is all just a big coincidence, but it all seems rather suspicious. As Brian Windhorst recently pointed out, actions speak louder than words in the NBA. These are the actions of a player who is on the verge of returning to play for the Boston Celtics.