Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum
NBA insider Kevin O'Connor adamant about Jayson Tatum playing this season.
As we approach the final stretch of the regular season, the Boston Celtics are still the biggest success story in the NBA. However, despite shattering any and all expectations this year, the main chatter around the team remains the potential return of Jayson Tatum.
During the Eastern Conference semifinals last postseason, Tatum suffered a devastating Achilles injury against the New York Knicks. Given the extended recovery timeline for such an ailment, many ruled out the idea of him taking the floor in the 2026 campaign. The superstar forward hasn’t let it stop him though, as he’s said on numerous occasions that he is aiming to rejoin the Celtics.
Led by a career year from Jaylen Brown, the Celtics have managed to stay near the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Their shocking success has made the idea of Tatum coming back even more tantalizing, with some thinking they could be a dark horse contender with him on the floor.
Now approaching the month of March, time is running out for Tatum to make a final decision. While no official reporting has come out, one insider seems to believe the Celtics star coming back is almost a guarantee.
While Kevin O’Connor and Claire De Lune were speaking on his podcast on February 19th, the topic of Tatum’s return emerged. She remains skeptical, but the longtime insider confidently cut her off to say he’ll be making a comeback at some point this season.
“With the Tatum thing,” De Lune said. “Are we positive?”
“Yeah he’ll be back,” O’Connor replied.
Former Celtics Forward Believes Jayson Tatum’s Return Could be Imminent
Another person with close ties to the Celtics who is confident on a Tatum return in Evan Turner. On February 20th, the former No. 2 pick joined Chris Mannix on his “Open Floor” podcast. When put on the spot to give a prediction for Tatum, Turner is keeping an eye out for Boston’s nationally televised game against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 1st.
“The hooper that I know, the person that I know. He’s itching to get back,” Turner said of Tatum. “I think I see him March 1st. His birthday is March 3rd so, you know Jayson he likes to give himself nice gifts.”
Jayson Tatum Offers Positive Message as he Continues Long Recovery Journey
When dealing with a setback like this, mindset is everything regarding the road to recovery. Based on his recent social media activity, Tatum appears to be keeping himself in the right frame of mind.
It’s been a long year for Tatum as he continues to get back to 100% from Achilles surgery. If the bumps in the road have gotten to him, he isn’t letting the world know it.
On February 17th, the Celtics forward took to X (formerly Twitter) to post the latest milestone in his journey. Now 40 weeks in since getting operated on, he is proud of himself for all the hours he’s put in to hopefully return to form in the near future.
Jayson Tatum
40 weeks🙏🏽 I’ve really grown to appreciate this journey I’ve been on and allow time for me to pat myself on the back for showing up everyday!
There’s no denying Tatum has given it his all to get back on the hardwood. Only time will tell if his hard work will pay off in the form of him helping Boston in what they hope is another deep playoff run.