Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix said it "seems like a foregone conclusion" that Jayson Tatum will play this season for the Boston Celtics. He noted how well Tatum has looked working through movements on his right leg. One of the things Brad Stevens previously said the team wants is for Tatum to feel confident enough to return, and it feels like that's where things are trending, though there's still no return date.
Mannix also noted that he had previously spoken with Evan Turner, who is close to Tatum. Turner pointed out that the star's birthday is on March 3 and that Tatum likes to give himself a nice birthday present. The NBA also recently flexed the Celtics' March 1 game against the Sixers to primetime on NBC's "Sunday Night Basketball," and their March 10 game against the Spurs to primetime on NBC as well.
It's not just wishful thinking to connect these dots to what could be Tatum's return from his torn Achilles. It feels like every day fans have yet another reason to believe he will be back before the regular season concludes.
Celtics fans are eagerly awaiting the news that Tatum will return
This would probably be a different conversation if Boston weren't the second-best team in the East, as there wouldn't be a need for Tatum to return if the team were a bottom-dweller. The conference is wide-open, though, and the Celtics proved that they're still the real deal, even without him. So much for this being a "down year."
Detroit has been the best team in the East this season, but the team's lack of playoff experience and shooting/playmaking around Cade Cunningham has people wary of putting too much stock in the Pistons.
New York, the third-best team in the conference, has failed to convince even its own fans that it can make a run to the NBA Finals. Cleveland, the No. 4 seed, swapped Darius Garland for James Harden, and while the early returns have been encouraging, we all know what happens when you rely on the latter in the postseason.
Everything is lining up perfectly for Tatum to return, almost too perfectly. There is a reason even many non-Boston fans think the Celtics will represent the East in the NBA Finals, and it's not just because of what they've done without Tatum, but also because of how they'll look when they reintegrate him into their system, however he may look.
Of course, it's still not a given that Jayson Tatum will grace us with his presence on the court again this season, but if we had to guess based on what's happened, that moment could come soon.