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Charles Barkley has a ‘bad feeling’ about Jayson Tatum’s return to Celtics
"This dude out here dunking and everything. He’s got another four or five months to go."
Reinforcements might be on the way for the Celtics in the coming months.
Boston has already exceeded expectations in 2025-26 after a painful offseason — entering Monday’s game against the Trail Blazers with a 28-17 record and a spot in second place in the Eastern Conference standings.
But an already scrappy roster anchored by Jaylen Brown could be closer to getting their best player back — as Jayson Tatum continues to inch toward a return less than a year after rupturing his Achilles tendon during the 2025 playoffs.
No firm timeline has been set for Tatum’s potential return to the hardwood. But the Celtics star did conduct an hour-long, on-court workout in front of reporters in Detroit last week — headlined by a few dunks.
Even if it’s to be expected that Tatum won’t fully shake off the rust from such a severe injury until next season, just getting the 27-year-old forward back in some capacity would be a major boost for Boston.
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But NBA Hall of Famer and longtime media pundit Charles Barkley isn’t so sure that Tatum’s return is a good thing this season.
“I got a bad feeling Jayson Tatum is coming back,” Barkley said on ESPN’s “Inside the NBA” this weekend. Normally, when guys have an Achilles, they are out for a year. What I saw him doing last week, he’s going to come back this year.”
When asked about why he has a “bad feeling” about Tatum’s return, Barkley pointed to Tatum’s accelerated recovery timeline.
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“It’s a great thing but I don’t think we ever had a player come back from an Achilles [this soon],” Barkley said. “This dude out here dunking and everything. He’s got another four or five months to go. They wouldn’t have put him in front of the media in my opinion. They did that intentionally.”
Barkley is not the only NBA Hall of Famer who has echoed caution when it comes to Tatum’s desire to get back on the parquet floor.
“Take your time, young fella,” Vince Carter said of Tatum on NBC’s NBA coverage last week. “It’s no rush because if you’re going to do this, do it right the first time. You don’t want to consistently be in and out of the lineup, or something else goes bad. Just do it right the first time.
“Sometimes, as athletes, we need to be saved from ourselves. And don’t rush this process. They’re going to make the playoffs. Don’t rush back just because you’re feeling good, man.”
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