The buzz is certainly building around Jayson Tatum’s potential return from a torn achilles as he continues his ramp-up process. In recent days, JT has scrimmaged against the Celtics coaches, then practiced against the Maine Celtics at the Auerbach Center before answering questions from the media.
None of this guarantees anything, and Tatum stopped short of committing to a return this season or offering any kind of timeline. But he continues to check every box, and every single thing he has done since the very night of his injury continues to suggest that Jayson is determined to get back on the court this season.
Nothing has changed in that plan or that progression, and while there has been no concrete indication, all signs point to a season debut in the coming weeks.
On a recent episode of the Hoop Collective Podcast, Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps, and Tim McMahon of ESPN all discussed the latest Tatum updates and agreed that he seems to be getting close, and they all believe that he will indeed play this season.
McMahon broke down the situation in a way that’s hard to argue with, “I get trying to temper expectations…but the fact that the guy is playing 5-on-5 with two months remaining in the regular season, and the Celtics are where they are in the standings, it’s not hard not to anticipate that Tatum is going to come back at some point this season.”
There’s no reason for this public rollout if Tatum isn’t planning to return
And McMahon’s point is a good one. There’s simply no reason for Tatum and the Celtics to be doing all this if they aren’t planning on a comeback. He got the surgery immediately, and he has been rehabbing like a madman around the clock, telling people he wants to play, posting about his recovery on social media, and more.
He held an individual workout that was open to the public a few weeks ago, and now these very public practices, and the decision to hold a media session. He has been attending every game this season, sitting on the bench, even for road games.
Tatum has been a part of this team every step of the way this season, and he continues to show how badly he wants to play basketball again. As soon as he is 100% ready, he’s going to want to get back out there, and the team will welcome him with open arms.
Based on all the reports, it appears to be happening sooner rather than later, and we should get ready to start checking each new, updated Celtics injury report like a kid on Christmas morning. It’s coming, Celtics fans. It’s just a matter of when.