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Celtics’ Jayson Tatum’s return this season reportedly ‘up in the air’
"I was hearing he was getting close and league sources told me that the situation has changed.”
A Celtics team already exceeding expectations in 2025-26 was seemingly poised to get some major reinforcements back just before the postseason.
Despite rupturing his Achilles tendon in May during the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Knicks, Jayson Tatum has largely been ahead of schedule in his recovery from such a major injury — sparking hope that the 27-year-old superstar could return to the parquet floor in some capacity this spring.
That sentiment might be changing, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes.
Haynes reported late on Wednesday night on “NBA on Prime” that Tatum was weighing the possibility of sitting out the entire 2025-26 season.
“It is up in the air on if he’s going to return at all this season,” Haynes said. “I was told there were a couple of factors of why he’s reached that point. But as of right now, that changes the whole landscape because Tatum even told me personally he was returning at some point. He was getting to return and he was getting close. I was hearing he was getting close and league sources told me that the situation has changed.”
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Haynes’ report comes just a few days after Tatum made a few interesting comments about his health during an interview on “The Pivot Podcast”.
Speaking to Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor, and Channing Crowder, a candid Tatum discussed the possible apprehensions that would come from rejoining a Celtics team that currently sits in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 29-18 record.
“That’s something I contemplate every day,” Tatum said of potentially joining Boston for the stretch run. “More so about the team. If or when I do come back this season, they will have played 50 some-odd games without me, so they have an identity this year or things that they’ve felt have clicked for them. And it’s been successful.
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“So there is a thought in my head, like, how does that work? Or how does that look with me integrating myself off the injury … 50, 60 games into a season? There obviously could be some challenges,” Tatum added. “And it is a thought: Do I come back? Should I wait? It’s something that I honestly, recently, in the last two weeks or so just kind of contemplate every single day.”
While most Achilles injuries usually lead to a year-long recovery timeline, Tatum has been well ahead of that schedule through the fall and winter.
While no official timeline has been set by the Celtics nor Tatum himself, he has been a regular presence on the court in recent months — even holding an hour-long, on-court workout in front of the media last week in Detroit.
Tatum’s return — even with limited minutes and with plenty of expected rust — would be a welcome boost for Boston in a wide-open Eastern Conference.
With 35 games left on the docket, both Tatum and the Celtics still have a pretty long runway to determine whether or not he’ll be back on the hardwood at some point before the 2026-27 campaign.
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