It’s beginning to really feel like the Boston Celtics’ 2025-26 season will feature Jayson Tatum. JT has issued multiple [positive messages](https://nesn.com/2025/10/jayson-tatum-confident-message-achilles-injury-rehab/) to his fans indicating that a return this coming season is more than possible. There haven’t been any formal announcements made by the Celtics, by videos of Tatum working out (and dunking!) have fueled assumptions that he’ll be able to re-enter the lineup before season’s end.
A Tatum return would obviously change Boston’s outlook entirely for the upcoming campaign, provided JT is fully healthy when he comes back. But when will that be, exactly?
No one knows for sure, but NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg made a bold prediction this week about that.
“We simply cannot watch all of these viral milestone moments and think that Tatum won’t be close to basketball ready at some point early in calendar year 2026,” [Forsberg wrote on Monday](https://www.nbcsportsboston.com/nba/boston-celtics/brad-stevens-trades-jayson-tatum-return-bold-predictions/740018/). “By February, he’ll be nine months removed from his Achilles rupture.”
“Neither Tatum nor the Celtics should rush the process — and they’ve been clear they won’t. And yes, the team must be 100 percent certain he has cleared all necessary medical hurdles before even considering a potential return.”
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“But the speculation is going to be perpetual, especially once Tatum is able to start really cranking up his on-court work. There are plenty of steps to navigate and the Celtics must exercise maximum caution with the long term in mind. But we threw a dart at March while predicting a potential Tatum return date over the summer, and we’re already eager to update our forecast.”
Boston opens up its regular season slate on Wednesday at TD Garden against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Celtics listened to noise all summer long about how they aren’t good enough to make the playoffs, much less contend.
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Guys like Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and Jaylen Brown are ready to prove that they can continue winning, even with Tatum sidelined.