Jayson Tatum seemed all but certain to miss the entire 2025-26 NBA season when tearing his Achilles in May, but the Boston Celtics star continues to generate hope during his recovery process.
ESPN insider Shams Charania said during a Wednesday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” that Tatum and the Celtics aren’t dismissing a return this season.
“The Celtics have not ruled him out,” Charania said. “I think the Celtics are cautiously optimistic. Clearly, Jayson Tatum has a goal in his mind that he wants to play.”
Charania noted that Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton have already ruled out a comeback during the 2025-26 campaign after suffering the same Achilles injury last postseason. Tatum, on the other hand, is making encouraging progress in his rehab.
Tatum raised eyebrows by running on the court in a video posted near the end of September. Around that same time, he wouldn’t eliminate the possibility of playing this season during a “First Take” appearance.
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“I haven’t said I’m not playing this season,” Tatum said on ESPN last month. “The most important thing is a full recovery … I’m not rushing it at all, but also, I don’t go to rehab six days a week for nothing.”
The 27-year-old shared another significant milestone on Thursday, posting a video of himself dunking. At this point, fans may need to seriously entertain the scenario of Tatum returning far sooner than anticipated.
Charania also pointed out that multiple doctors must clear him, and several more staffers will decide if they’ll let Tatum play. The Celtics may not want to risk any setbacks if they’re out of the title scene, but it’s at least a story to monitor later this season.
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