BOSTON — Nearly 10 months after tearing his right Achilles tendon, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is back on the floor and racing the calendar. The 28-year-old returned on Mar. 6 to a standing ovation at TD Garden, but with only 11 regular-season games left, coaches and scouts wonder whether he can regain top form in time for the 2026 NBA playoffs.
Eight-game sample shows promise and growing pains
Tatum has logged eight appearances since missing the Celtics’ first 62 contests. He has scored in double figures every night, topping 20 points five times and recording four double-doubles, including a 15-point, 12-rebound debut against Dallas. Still, his shooting sits at 38.8 percent overall and 29.3 percent from three, numbers affected by a 30.8 percent usage rate and a heavy lean on long-range attempts—75 of his 139 shots (53.9 percent) have come from beyond the arc.
“He doesn’t seem to trust the leg yet, so he’s hunting jumpers,” an Eastern Conference assistant coach said. A Western Conference scout added that the usage rate is “too high” for a player still regaining rhythm.
Rebound and defense offer immediate value
Even without full explosiveness, Tatum is averaging a career-best 8.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals, contributions Boston needs after offseason departures of Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet.
Balancing roles with Jaylen Brown
With MVP candidate Jaylen Brown carrying the offense, several evaluators believe Boston’s quickest route to success is slotting Tatum as a secondary option—similar to the role LeBron James has adopted next to Luka Dončić in Los Angeles. Head coach Joe Mazzulla has instead given his star “as much latitude as he needs,” a scout said, to accelerate the reacclimation process.
Tatum has mainly absorbed the minutes of third-year forward Jordan Walsh, who averaged 17.2 minutes but has been out of the rotation for five straight games.
Conference landscape keeps door open
Boston sits second in the Eastern Conference and is the betting favorite to reach the NBA Finals, trailing only the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in leaguewide title odds. Rivals face their own uncertainties: Indiana is without Tyrese Haliburton, Detroit leads the standings yet hasn’t won a series since 2008 and lost Cade Cunningham to a collapsed lung, while New York, Cleveland, Orlando, Atlanta and Philadelphia have struggled for consistency.
Tatum focused on incremental progress
Speaking after Sunday’s loss to Minnesota, Tatum acknowledged the challenge. “I wanted to be first-team All-NBA right away,” he said. “I didn’t rush the rehab, so I can’t rush this.”
Boston hosts Oklahoma City on Wednesday before beginning the final stretch of the schedule. Whether Tatum can shake off the rust by mid-April may determine how far the Celtics go this spring.
Source: ESPN
