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ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JANUARY 17: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics reacts after their 132-106 win over the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on January 17, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The Boston Celtics have operated this entire season without Jayson Tatum. Tatum tore his Achilles tendon in the playoffs last season. With him being out for the entire season, Tatum has had time to reflect on things that have happened in the past.
Tatum is widely regarded as the Celtics’ best player. Despite that, Boston is still second in the Eastern Conference standings without him. He likely will return at some point in the season, but he is used to not being needed to win at the highest level in recent years.
That happened in the 2024 Olympics. Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton were the two players who hardly played. While on The Pivot Podcast, Tatum addressed the fact that he was one of the players left out of the rotation.
GettyBoston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum celebrates.(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Celtics Forward Jayson Tatum Talks Lack of Playing Time in 2024 Olympics
Tatum was asked about that lack of playing time and let everyone know it affected him deeply.
“To be honest, that was tough because it was my second time in the Olympics. In 2021, we were in Tokyo, and my experience was totally different. I was the second-leading scorer behind KD. We beat France, we ended up winning a gold medal. In 2024, I was first-team All-NBA, came off a championship, I was on the cover of 2K. I was on top of the world.”
Tatum continued to talk about the fact that this deeply affected him at the time.
“We still won, and I built some relationships, and gained some great memories from it. But the toughest part of it was everybody was like ‘Yo, I can’t wait until you play the Warriors, you gonna try to kill them when you see Steve Kerr again.’ But it was like, yeah, but how am I feeling right now?”
Tatum was clearly trying to process the fact that he was not getting the playing time that he thought he deserved. He was one of the best American players in 2024, but he wasn’t able to get on the court enough for his liking.
GettyBoston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum dribbles the ball. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Jayson Tatum is Focused on Returning This Season
While that summer was tough, Tatum is focused on the future. He is still working to return this year. If the Celtics are able to get him back fully healthy, they could be the favorites to win the East. Tatum’s return is one of the big reasons why they likely won’t be active at the trade deadline.
Without Tatum, the Celtics have the second-best offense in the NBA. Adding someone who averaged almost 27 points per game last season would make them even better. Tatum is still one of the best players in the league. He still has hurdles to cross in order to get back on the court, though.
There is no firm timetable for Tatum’s return. At this point, it looks like it will be sometime after the All-Star break.