Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
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Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Jayson Tatum is yet to suit up for the Boston Celtics this season. The All-NBA forward has been sidelined with an Achilles tendon injury.
In recent weeks, Tatum has been making strides in his rehab. He’s been filmed working out in the weight room and was recently cleared to participate in controlled five-on-five work with the team’s coaches.
As such, Celtics fans have begun to postulate when Tatum could return to the court. However, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, speaking via a Feb. 17 episode of ESPN’s NBA Today, Tatum is yet to make a decision on whether he will return this season.
“I know everybody has seen that game got flexed to that spot on NBC on prime time. There’s a documentary that an NBC affiliate has been doing,” Shelburne said. “There are connecting dots. But, I checked in with Jayson Tatum, and he said, ‘I’ve still not made a decision on whether or not I’m coming back this year.'”
If Tatum returns to the Celtics rotation this season, he will need time to ramp up before the playoffs. If he is not cleared until late March, it will be tough to regain conditioning and reach a high level before the playoffs begin.
Tatum Unsure Of In-Season Return To Celtics
During a recent appearance on “The Pivot” podcast, Tatum gave an honest insight into his concerns on returning midway through the Celtics current season.
“That’s something I contemplate every day,” Tatum said. “More so about the team, if or when I do come back this season, they would’ve played 50-some-odd games without me. So they have an identity this year or things that they felt have clicked for them. And it’s been successful, right? Third or second team in the East up to this point. So there is a thought in my head that’s like, how does that work or how does that look with me integrating myself off an injury and 50-60 games into a season?”
Tatum continued.
“There could obviously be some challenges and it is a thought, like damn? Do I come back or should I wait? It’s something that I honestly, recently in the last two weeks or so, just kind of contemplate every single day.”
It’s hard to envision Tatum derailing the success the Celtics are having this year. He’s too good a player for that to happen. However, if he feels that he would be better served waiting until next season, then it’s a decision that only he can make.
Former Celtics Big Man Believes Tatum Should Wait
During a recent conversation with Daniel Donabedian of ClutchPoints, Blake Griffin shared his thoughts on Tatum’s recovery timeline. He said he believes Tatum should wait until next season before returning to Boston’s rotation.
“There’s a lot of information on Achilles and all other sorts of injuries, but especially Achilles injuries, where, the longer you wait — like, yes, you may be able to play within, call it 10 months,” Griffin said. “But does 16 months give you a much better chance at not re-injuring and not injuring something else? And I think the data on that is very clear. As good and as much fun as the Celtics are to watch this season, as good as they’ve been, I don’t know that if I was advising him — I don’t know that I would be like, ‘Yeah, you got to get back this year.’”
Celtics fans are undoubtedly excited for when Tatum does return. However, he must first be cleared by the medical staff. When that happens, both he and the coaches will have the final say. Until then, Celtics fans will remain in limbo regarding whether they will see Tatum this season or not.