Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics, Jayson Tatum injury timeline, Jayson Tatum injury update
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Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics watches from the bench during the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena on November 30, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Superstar forward Jayson Tatum was apparently not kidding when he was caught saying “I’m ready” after the Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat last week.
On Monday, Tatum took the floor for a 45-minute workout session in the midst of several Celtics beat writers at Seaholm High School, a school located in a northern suburb of Detroit, where the C’s held shootaround ahead of the blockbuster MLK Day clash against the top-seeded Pistons.
Tatum began the session getting shots up from various spots on the court, before undergoing more active shooting drills that involved coming off screens for threes, off-the-dribble pull-up jumpers and driving to the rim amid defensive pressure.
Jayson Tatum Injury Update
According to onlookers, Tatum looked incredible in the 45-minute session, showing off an explosion in his dribble-drives and getting to his usual midrange spots with ease.
CelticsBlog’s Noa Dalzell, who was at the scene, shared her first-hand account of why Tatum may truly be ready to return to NBA action imminently. Dalzell highlighted that the session wasn’t “a full-speed NBA workout,” but it was the first instance of Tatum working out in front of the media since he tore his Achilles last May.
“Tatum has not worked out in front of the media this extensively since he first got hurt,” Dalzell wrote. “He has no shortage of access to gym space, even on the road. Previously, he’s waited for media to wrap up before taking the floor for his post-shootaround workout.”
Dalzell feels that something “has shifted” in Tatum over the past few weeks, which has seen the 6-time All-Star become “increasingly animated” on the sidelines.
“Maybe he’s just increasingly relishing in the Celtics on-court success…. but, in my (albeit limited) experience, injured players usually reach an increased level of engagement on the sidelines when their return is inching closer.”
Jayson Tatum Return Timeline
Derrick White, also a witness to Tatum’s workout session on Monday, is very confident that his teammate’s hardwork is about to pay off in a big way.
“It’s been amazing to see, obviously, all the work he’s putting in,” White said.
“You just kind of see him being around more, and being able to do more. So that’s exciting to see, as a friend. Every day he’s been working hard, and it’s good to see all that hard work add to some more movement and more opportunities.”
According to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, Tatum is pushing “really hard” to return by February or March, and is eager to be part of the Celtics’ stretch run of the season.
“…All indications out there, and everything I’ve heard, is that he’s going to push really hard in February-March to get back out there on the floor, and be there with the team for most of the second half of this season,” Mannix said earlier this month.
Tatum is on pace to make one of the quickest recoveries any athlete has made from an Achilles tear, an injury that has historically sidelined NBA players for 12+ months.
The Celtics (26-16) hold a 1.5-game lead over the New York Knicks (25-18) for the second seed in the East.